Stephenson’s playing time was split between the underwhelming trio of Jeffery Taylor, P.J. Hairston and Brian Roberts.

Per the Charlotte Observer:

Was the DNP-CD a good decision by Clifford? [...] Well, given that the Hornets couldn’t guard anybody all night and lost handily at home to one of the teams they are battling with for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot, I’d have to say it was not. The combined efforts of Taylor, Hairston and Roberts could be described in one word: unimpressive.

But would Stephenson have made a significant difference? I doubt it. These Hornets (31-42) are so far afield now that, with nine games left, the completion of this lost season is only two weeks away. No way they make the playoffs.

This is how Clifford explained the decision to bench Stephenson on Monday: “I’m just obviously searching without Mike (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who is out with an injury). … I explained to (Stephenson) that I’m not saying it’s his fault at all. But we have struggled to find a group that has played well off the bench in these last few games. Jeff (Taylor) has to play with Mike out. We need a defender and an energy guy out there and he’s the best guy, the guy most like Mike. And we need shooting. … Lance was disappointed and wants to play. I give him credit. He said, ‘I know I can help the team,’ and he handled it well.” [...] When I asked Stephenson after the game if the decision had upset him, he replied: “Of course. I feel like I could have helped our team. I feel like I could have helped tonight. But it’s not in my hands. I just come out every day and try to get ready for each game and stay in shape.”

Charlotte bounced back in a big way after suffering a tough double-overtime loss against the Wizards Friday night. With all five Hawks starters resting on the night, Kemba Walker (21 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) and the Hornets easily cruised by Atlanta with little to no resistance. Gerald Henderson (20 points, 9-10 from the field) couldn’t miss while Mo Williams (18 points, 4-5 on 3-pointers) and Marvin Williams (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 3-9 on 3-pointers) found their touch from deep. Kent Bazemore (season-high 20 points) and Mike Muscala (18 points, 10 rebounds) stepped up as part-time starters, combining to shoot 14-27 (51.9 percent) from the field. The problem came on the defensive end, as the Hornets scored at least 25 points in every quarter. After back-to-back high-paced games, Steve Clifford said he would be giving the Hornets the day off on Sunday.

Bulls 111 (45-29), Knicks 80 (14-60)

The Bulls pounded the Knicks thanks to strong play from their crafty and skilled big men. Nikola Mirotic (24 points, 6 rebounds) has progressed at an extremely high rate this season and has turned into one of Chicago’s most dependable players. Pau Gasol (19 points, 12 rebounds) reached another double-double while Taj Gibson (14 points, 9 rebounds) came a rebound away from notching one. The Knicks frontline led by Andrea Bargnani (14 points, 7 rebounds) had no chance against one of the strongest forecourts in the League, as the Bulls outrebounded the Knicks 51-35. Chicago led by double-digits midway through the first quarter and kept pouring it on in each successive quarter. While the Bulls shot an efficient 51.2 percent from the field, the Knicks only managed to shoot 38.0 percent. This game’s outcome was simply an example of one team being more talented and better coached than the other. With the loss, the Knicks now have a franchise-worse 60 losses on the year.

Warriors 108 (60-13), Bucks 95 (36-37)

A night after the Hawks sealed the top spot in the East, the Warriors clinched the No. 1 seed in the West after cruising by the Bucks thanks to dominance in the second and third quarters. Stephen Curry (25 points, 6 assists, 6-9 on 3-pointers) and Klay Thompson (21 points, 3-8 on 3-pointers, +30) had their shot going, and when that happens, few teams in the NBA even have a chance of keeping up with them. The Splash Brothers have established a unique chemistry that works so well together despite their similarities. Curry has figured out Steve Kerr’s offense and is the main reason they have a franchise-record 60 wins and are currently riding a nine-game winning streak. The Bucks, though, kept pace through 12 minutes behind six early points from Khris Middleton (14 points, 2 steals). During the second and third quarter, the game took a drastic change in direction as Golden State outscored Milwaukee 58-40 during these 24 minutes. The Warriors are so efficient on the offensive end of the court during certain stretches that it quickly wears down their opponents. Golden State ended the game shooting 51.2 percent from the field while Milwaukee only shot 37.9 percent. The Bucks also couldn’t buy a shot from deep, finishing 2-15 (13.3 percent) on 3-pointers.

Jazz 94 (32-41), Thunder 89 (41-32)

Trey Burke (22 points, 6 rebounds) reached the 20-point plateau as the Favor-less Jazz got back to their defense ways in taking down former teammate Enes Kanter (18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks) and the Thunder. Russell Westbrook (37 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 9 turnovers) poured in 13 points in the first quarter as OKC was on the way to building an early 16-point lead. However, during the second and third quarter, Westbrook only scored four points while the Jazz outscored the Thunder 55-34. Even though Westbrook finished with a strong stat line, he played a major role in the Thunder’s ball control issues. The Thunder shot 42.5 percent from the field compared the the Jazz shooting only 38.1 percent, but OKC finished with 23 turnovers. The Jazz only had 11, which is how many more shots than the Thunder they had in the game. The Thunder played too loose while the Jazz locked down defensively in the second and third quarter. And by the end of the game, Utah made enough free throws to pull off the upset. The Thunder’s lead over the ninth-place Pelicans has been cut to two and a half games.

Blazers 120 (47-25), Nuggets 114 (28-46)

The Blazers finally played at an elite level for the first time in quite some time due to a strong performance from LaMarcus Aldridge (32 points, 11 rebounds, 13-20 from the field). As great as Damian Lillard (8 points, 10 assists) usually is late in games, Aldridge is still the backbone of this team. They go as their power forward goes. And Friday night, the Blazers finally saw Arron Afflalo (21 points, 8-11 from the field) take advantage of his larger role. Whether it was because he was playing his former team or it was simply time for him to find his touch, Afflalo’s emergence has to be a sigh of relief for Terry Stotts (for now). His offensive contribution will be key as Portland heads into playoff basketball. The Nuggets did have seven players in double figures as they were led by veteran bench player Jameer Nelson (22 points, 5 assists), who now has back-to-back solid games. Nelson and Randy Foye (17 points, 6-11 from the field) each nailed four 3-pointers but, as has been the case far too often this season, the Nuggets had no defensive consistency. Whenever Denver needed a stop, they had no way of preventing the Blazers from getting the shot they wanted. Portland finished the game shooting a blistering 56.5 percent from the field.

The Brooklyn Nets picked up a critical 91-88 victory Wednesday night against the Hornets in Charlotte, as Brook Lopez led the way with a game-high 34 points, ten rebounds and three blocks.

The win pulled the Nets within a half-game of the eighth and final place at the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s Playoff race.

Unfortunately for BK, Thaddeus Young went down in the third quarter with a hyperextended left knee.

Per the NY Post:

The win allowed the Nets (30-40) to remain 1 ¹/₂ games out behind in the race for the final playoff spot while also ensuring they clinched the tiebreaker over the Hornets because of a 2-1 edge in the season series.

“I’m just very sore right now,” said Young, who stepped on Gerald Henderson’s foot, causing his ankle and leg to bend awkwardly and send him crashing to the floor in pain, grabbing at his leg. “I’ll be fine. It’s just one of those things where I’m going to wake up tomorrow like, ‘Man.’ [...] “But I’m cool. I’ll be fine. Everything was negative so far, so I’m just ready to try to get myself back out there.”

Though (Al) Jefferson also played well, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots, it was Lopez who made plays when it counted, scoring six out of eight points during one stretch late in the fourth quarter when both teams took turns exchanging baskets as they alternated between being tied and the Nets holding a two-point lead. [...] “His touch right now near the basket is off the charts,” said Deron Williams, who finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists — eight of which came on passes to Lopez. “We just need to keep feeding him in pick-and-rolls and exploiting it whenever we have a chance.”

Jimmy Butler rejoined the lineup following an 11-game absence due to a left elbow injury, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 39 minutes of action.

Per the Chicago Tribune:

With two answers, one short and one strong, Joakim Noah summarized the state of the Bulls, who clinched their seventh straight playoff berth Monday with a 98-86 victory over the Hornets. [...] “No,” Noah said, when asked if the Bulls’ defense is where it needs to be.

Expanding on why, Noah cited a need for more toughness. And then he dropped the kicker. [...] “I still think we’re the toughest team to beat in a seven-game series,” he said.

The game also featured another strong finish from Nikola Mirotic, who scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. [...] “Dude can play,” Butler said. “He has basically carried us this month.”

The NBA seems to think Gerald Henderson dunked on his own teammate Bismack Biyombo, but it was Gorgui Dieng who was victimized Sunday in the Charlotte Hornets’ 109-98 road victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Mo Williams led the way against his former squad with 24 points.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Al Jefferson each scored 18 points, and Henderson had 17 as the Hornets snapped a three-game streak.

Per the AP:

“It wasn’t one of those situations where you want to go back and have a good game,” Williams said. “It was more just a game that we really needed to win.”

“We’re going to have to do it for more than 24 minutes to win there,” coach Steve Clifford said. “The locker room felt good. We needed to win a game, especially on the road, and hopefully we can build on it.”

Gorgui Dieng led Minnesota with 16 points and Kevin Martin had 15 points and nine assists. The Wolves led the entire first half. [...] “It’s one of those things you play with a lot of energy in the first half, the worst thing that happens, you go into halftime you get a tendency to all of a sudden sit down and you realized, ‘Geez, I’m really tired,’” coach Flip Saunders said. “We didn’t come out with that same energy, the same pace.”

The Hornets stayed hot Friday night by coming back from a first-half, 19-point deficit against Aaron Brooks (24 points, 4 assists) and the Bulls. With a new sense of grittiness and toughness, the Hornets seem to have really turned the corner since Mo Williams (18 points, 5 rebounds) came to town. He adds a veteran leadership and fills many of the holes the team blatantly had before he arrived. Gerald Henderson (20 points, 7 rebounds) also has looked like a different player the past few months and he knocked down a big 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Hornets allowed the Bulls to rack up 35 points in the first 12 minutes but only 56 points in the next 36 minutes. The change in momentum came in the third quarter when Charlotte really locked down defensively and outscored Chicago 25-10. Joakim Noah (1 point, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) never really got in a groove in this one and even picked up a technical foul in the second quarter. He was a major reason the Hornets outrebounded the Bulls, 55-36.

76ers 114 (15-50), Kings 107 (22-42)

Philadelphia has had an up-and-down season filled with moments of incompetence along with streaks of resolve. Facing a 73-55 deficit with 8:46 left in the third quarter, the Sixers could either pack their bags or fight back. After head coach Brett Brown shown some anger, Philly quickly rallied and shown maturity in staying the course and coming all the way back to make it 95-82—that is a whopping 40-9 run—with 9:56 left in the fourth. Every Sixers player that stepped on the court during that stretch seemed to know their role on both ends of the floor and excel while doing so. JaKarr Sampson (10 points, 3 assists) and Henry Sims (8 points, 4 rebounds), specifically, really played key parts during the Sixers’ huge run. For the entire game, Robert Covington (24 points, 6-12 on 3-pointers) led the way with his deep ball while Ish Smith’s (10 points, 9 rebounds) distribution became contagious with his teammates. Philly had a 30-21 assist advantage. For the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins (39 points, 24 rebounds) had nine points in the fourth quarter and earned the first 30-20 game in the NBA this season. He kept pounding it down low and went to the line 20 times, making 15. However, once the Sixers went on that 40-9 run, they never looked back.

Celtics 95 (28-36), Magic 88 (21-46)

Through two quarters, the Celtics looked sluggish and out of sorts, only putting up 40 points. But then Evan Turner (30 points, 5 rebounds) poured in 24 of his 30 points in the final two quarters to change the momentum and give Boston its fifth win in the last six games. Phil Pressey (10 points, 10 assists, 2 steals) also came alive and put up double-digit points and assists for the first time this season. This was also the first time he played more than 20 minutes (27) all year. (As if this team didn’t have enough productive guards. Kelly Olynyk (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Avery Bradley (10 points, 2-7 on 3-pointers) both helped the team find its groove in the second half while the Magic dropped their tenth straight on the road. Nikola Vucevic (16 points, 11 rebounds) notched another double-double while Elfrid Payton (20 points, 9 assists) controlled the offense in his awkward but effective playing style. However, the young point guard shot a horrid 4-15 from the stripe. The Celtics are now on a three-game winning streak and just won’t slide out of playoff contention. They are only one game back of the eighth seed and two games back of the seventh seed.

Raptors 102 (39-26), Heat 92 (29-36)

Going into this game, the Raptors had lost nine of their last ten and needed some sort of boost for their home crowd at Air Canada Centre. Backcourt starters Kyle Lowry (19 points, 8 assists, 7 steals) and DeMar DeRozan (18 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 12-13 on free throws) finally seemed to both find their groove in the same game while guards Greivis Vasquez (12 points, 5-11 from the field) and Lou Williams (14 points) came off the bench as sparkplugs. With Terrence Ross’ (9 points) up-and-down season and the lack of consistency in the frontcourt, if these four guards can get their mojo back, Toronto will start winning at a high level again. Few teams in the League have this kind of quality scoring depth from four guards. For the Heat, Dwyane continued his recent surge and scored at least 25 points for the fifth straight game. The problem Friday night was he didn’t get much help from his teammates other than Goran Dragic (18 points, 5 assists). The Heat are now half a game back of the Hornets for the eighth seed in the East.

Thunder 113 (36-29), Timberwolves 99 (14-50)

Another triple-double, just another game for the masked thunderbolt. Russell Westbrook (29 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) picked up his sixth triple-double in the last eight game…and also score 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter when his team outscored Minnesota 34-27. Even though he also had eight turnovers and threw the ball away a few too many times, the pros seem to be outweighing the cons of late. The electric point guard had a ridiculous play late in the fourth when he received a pass from D.J. Augustin (9 points, 5 assists) and drilled a deep trey while being fouled. He is simply playing on another level while putting the entire team on his shoulders and attempting to carry them into the playoffs. Even though Westbrook is the story, Enes Kanter (23 points, 15 rebounds) had a solid double-double and really battled with Gorgui Dieng (21 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks) down low. These two have their flaws but showed great promise Friday night. Andrew Wiggins (19 points, 5 rebounds) got to the line all night while Justin Hamilton (17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals) also picked up a double-double with Dieng. However, when Westbrook is flying up-and-down the court at a breakneck speed with blow-by acceleration, there’s not much anyone can do. The Thunder are now tied with the Pelicans for the eighth seed in the West.

Mavericks 129 (42-25), Clippers 99 (42-24)

With San Antonio right on their heels and everyone above them starting to pull away, the Mavs couldn’t afford to put up another no-show against a Western Conference playoff team. With a healthy Chandler Parsons (22 points, 5-6 on 3-pointers) and Tyson Chandler (14 points, 12 rebounds, 6-7 from the field), their team suddenly looked liked the offensive powerhouse they turned into early in the season and scored more than 120 points for the first time since December 7. As a team, they shot a blistering 60.7 percent from the field as seven players reached double figures—something that was much more common early in the season. Veterans Charlie Villanueva (19 points, 5 rebounds) and J.J. Barea (15 points, 4 assists) played well off the bench and allowed Dirk Nowitzki (14 points) and Monta Ellis (14 points, 4 assists) to get plenty of rest. DeAndre Jordan (16 points, 18 rebounds, 1-5 on free throws) continued to rebound at a high level while Chris Paul (11 points, 7 assists, 5 steals) racked up his steal per usual. However, L.A. let this one slip away right at the start of the fourth when Dallas went on a 22-3 run in building a 32-point lead. The Mavs only trail the Clippers by half a game for the fifth seed.

Nuggets 114 (25-41), Warriors 103 (51-13)

With no Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala due to rest and Marreese Speights not with the team because of a suspension, the Nuggets took full advantage and pulled off the upset against the top team in the West. Kenneth Faried (24 points, 17 rebounds) showed the bounce he possessed all summer long with the Olympic team and really helped establish a fight in his Nuggets tonight. When the passion is there for Faried, he is a catalyst for Denver’s energy on both ends of the floor. He was the main force in the Nuggets outrebounding the Warriors 52-35. Randy Foye (20 points, 8 assists, 4-9 on 3-pointers) also knocked down three huge 3-pointers down the stretch. After Justin Holiday (career-high 23 points, 5-7 on 3-pointers)—who really stepped up to the occasion—made a trey with 5:19 to go, Golden State held a 99-94 lead. Foye would go on to make two free throws and then make a 3-pointer with 4:11 remaining to tie the game 99-99. Foye would drill two more triples in the final 2:36 to seal the victory. Danilo Gallinari (24 points, 7 rebounds, 9-11 on free throws) made a conserted effort to get to the line as the Nuggets shot 24-37 (64.9 percent) from the stripe. The Warriors only attempted 22, making 17.

Hawks 96 (51-14), Suns 87 (34-33)

For the majority of this game, Atlanta looked to be one or two shots away from landing its second loss in a row against the West. But in the final quarter of play, the team started playing 2014-15 Hawks basketball by spreading the ball around, finishing the play with the long ball and being connected by an imaginary string on the defensive end of the floor. Paul Millsap (23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals) yet again did a little bit of everything. He may be undersized down low but he makes up for it with his versatility and energy. Kyle Korver (14 points, 3-4 on 3-pointers, +18) made two of the team’s five three pointers during a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter. During this time period, the Hawks turned a 79-77 deficit into a 94-85 lead. Marieff Morris (22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) had a solid line offensively but couldn’t keep up with Atlanta’s constant motion on offense. Eric Bledsoe (21 points, 6 assists, 7 turnovers) had a up-and-down game, finishing with more turnovers than assists. Unless the Suns have a crazy run to finish the season or Russell Westbrook loses his superpowers, it is looking like they will be on the outside looking in again.

Blazers 118 (43-20), Pistons 99 (23-42)

The Blazers easily handed the Pistons their ninth straight loss as they built up a large first-half lead and cruised the rest of the way. Damian Lillard (28 points, 9 assists, 9-12 from the field) caught fire from deep, ending the night with one of his most efficient shooting performances of the season. LaMarcus Aldridge (22 points, 7 rebounds) remained the a midrange master as six Blazers finished in double digits. Detroit simply couldn’t keep up with Portland’s shooting efficiency, as the Pistons shot only shot 45.1 percent compared to 57.5 percent for the Blazers. Greg Monroe (19 points, 3 steals) led Detroit in scoring, Reggie Jackson (11 points, 10 assists) notched a double-double and Andre Drummond (16 points, 17 rebounds) gobbled up the boards. However, they were simply outplayed and outmatched Friday night. The game got heated towards the end, with Joel Freeland and Shawne Williams butting heads and both being ejected.

(Hornets coach Steve) Clifford has a mantra: “Defense, rebounding, low-turnover.” It is the formula his team must follow to win. So this game became the great outlier. They gave up basket after basket in the lane and were outrebounded 42-39. (They committed one fewer turnover – 10 to Detroit’s 11.)

So then how did they pull this one off? Center Al Jefferson regained his exceptional scoring touch from late last season and small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was switched to guarding Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson in the second half. [...] Jefferson finished the game with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field. Kidd-Gilchrist held Jackson to four points on 2-of-9 shooting in the second half after Jackson had run up 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting before halftime.

What Kidd-Gilchrist contributed in the second half is illustrative of the compromise the Hornets make to get point guard Mo Williams’ scoring. Williams was again terrific offensively (21 points, nine assists and two clutch free throws in the final minute), but he’s limited defensively. [...] “When Mo first got traded here I told him, ‘Man, you are going to love MKG,’” Jefferson said post-game. “That’s what makes him so special – that he can guard so many different guys and he rebounds very well. He’s the captain of our defense. You can always tell when he’s not playing that it makes a big difference.”

In addition to Jordan, two other NBA team owners are now also considered first-time billionaires.

Nearly 25% of this year’s first-time billionaires hail from China, which produced a world-leading 71 newcomers. The United States came in second, with 57, followed by India, with 28, and Germany, with 23.

The most famous rookie on the billionaires list? Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time and indisputably the best-paid athlete of all time. Most of his cash comes from Nike payouts on his iconic brand. The Jordan brand grossed an estimated $2.25 billion in 2013, earning his Airness some $90 million. But his most valuable asset is his stake in the Charlotte Hornets, worth more than $500 million.

When ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bought the Los Angeles Clippers for a stunning $2 billion, values of all NBA teams skyrocketed, creating three new billionaires. Jordan’s old boss Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago Bulls, joined the list with a fortune of $1.3 billion, and Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander boosted his net worth to $1.6 billion.

After the pesky Hornets rallied from a 17-point deficit to inch to within 75-68, Ellis scored 15 of his team’s final 17 points over the last 6:42 of the game. And he assisted on the other two points when he fired a pass that Tyson Chandler converted into a flying dunk.

“We were stuck in the mud there,” coach Rick Carlisle said, referring to his offense. “We were having trouble scoring. Monta had a frustrating first three quarters, but he stayed with it and he found something that got us a little bit of traction. He put the ball in the basket four or five times in a row and that got the game sealed for us.”

“I felt a little winded at the end of the first quarter, but other than that I felt good,” said Stoudemire, who was 5 of 8 from the field and powered his way to three dunks. “I think when you’re playing with good basketball players the game becomes easy. It’s a matter of finding the right spots on the court to get open and take advantage of your opportunity and go for it.”

The Hornets made another move to strengthen their roster today, as they are set to acquire Mo Williams in a deal with the Timberwolves. This is another attempt by the Hornets to make a playoff push as despite their 22-29 record, Charlotte is tied for the seventh spot in the East. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Charlotte will part with some draft picks in exchange for the point guard:

Charlotte will send Minnesota a 2019 second-round pick that it owns via a 2014 trade with the Miami Heat.”

Williams will give Charlotte some short-term help at point guard, as Kemba Walker is out for another month while still recovering from knee surgery. Charlotte has struggled with Lance Stephenson at the point, and Mo Williams will provide some much needed relief.

Williams averaged 12 points and 6 assists for the Timberwolves, who may have improved their chances at the top pick in the 2015 Draft by getting rid of the still-productive 32-year old Williams. But while the Timberwolves have embraced the tank, Charlotte is going all in to try and claw back to .500.

“We just played as bad a basketball as we played all year,” Clifford bemoaned. “We were totally disorganized – random, awful basketball on both ends of the floor.”

Pacers point guard George Hill got Brian Roberts and Cody Zeller discombobulated in a pick-and-roll. Hill was able to drive baseline, seemingly for a kick-out to a jump shooter. […] Then suddenly Hill spun 180 degrees toward the basket to see … nothing but basket.

The Hornets stumbled upon top-two picks in both ’91 and ’92, and teamed up Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning through the draft after a couple of short, horrible seasons.

Sadly, the duo only overlapped in Charlotte for three years, as the team flipped Zo to Miami in ’95 for, essentially, Glen Rice and Tony Delk.

The brief era wasn’t without its highs, though. For instance, Mourning and Johnson’s Hornets reached the second round of the playoffs in the tandem’s first year together. They ended up losing the series in five games to Patrick Ewing and the Knicks, but put on quite a show in Game 3 at home (on one of my favorite all-time courts). All told, they tallied sixty-five points and countless clutch buckets in a thrilling, six-period win.

“I’ve been criticized in a lot of different areas from a business standpoint, but I take pride in the ideas and concepts and views that come out of this organization to build the type of basketball program… that the city of Charlotte can be proud of,” Jordan said as he began tearing up.

“For all of the people that think that I’m in this for the short term, you better pull your socks up and just hang around — because my promise to this organization and this community is to bring a winner,” Jordan said. […] “I left home. I came back home. And I plan on staying home,” Jordan said.

Jordan, with tears streaming, said, “Thank you for allowing me to cry in front of you.” […] “I’m sort of emotional,” Jordan said. “I take great pride in something the city of Charlotte can feel proud of.”

The Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets began to gather traction on a three-way trade late Thursday afternoon, and planned to continue to discussions on Friday morning, league sources said. For the Nets, the biggest hurdle remained their willingness to take on combustible Charlotte guard Lance Stephenson, sources said.

Oklahoma City has been the most aggressive in its pursuit of Lopez, league sources said. Brooklyn has tried to find teams willing to move the expiring contract of Kendrick Perkins for an established player, sources said.

The Nets have delivered indications to teams they would like to settle on a trade by the weekend, league sources said. […] Denver has discussed a package centered on center JaVale McGee, but his consistent problems with injuries have discouraged the Nets’ interest, sources said. Miami raised the idea of a package including Chris Andersen, Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts, sources said. The Los Angeles Lakers have expressed interest too, sources said.

The first game of Thursday night’s TNT double-header went pretty much as expected.

Houston clobbered the undermanned and overmatched Knicks, who have now lost 14 straight games and 24 of 25. James Harden lit up MSG for 25 points, 9 assists and 3 steals in only three quarters of work. Dwight Howard found little resistance in the paint en route to 13 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals. Donatas Motiejunas posted a statline of 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Seven Rockets, including all five starters, finished in double figures. Meanwhile, not one player in New York’s starting lineup attained 10 or more points. Remember: the Knicks are missing Carmelo Anthony, Andrea Bargnani and Amar’e Stoudemire. They just traded away JR Smith and Iman Shumpert. As a result, NYK relied on Travis Wear (9-16 shooting, 21 points, 5 rebounds) and Langston Galloway (19 points, 4 rebounds) to lead the way offensively against a Houston squad that boasts a legitimate MVP candidate in Harden.

Hornets (14-24) 103, Raptors (24-11) 95

Upset alert!

Twenty-four hours after hitting a game-winner to sink the Pelicans, Kemba Walker was once again wreaking havoc during crunch time. It’s now common knowledge that the fourth-year PG absolutely loves the rock in late-game situations, and last night was no different as he torched the Raptors with 7 points in the final two minutes of regulation. Kemba finished with 29 points overall alongside 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals to lead Charlotte to its fourth straight win. While Walker gets most of the shine with a near triple double, Gerald Henderson’s 31 points on 13-20 shooting cannot go overlooked. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also chipped in with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

While Kyle Lowry is still the better player and Toronto the better team, Kemba and the Hornets got the best of ‘em on the road. Lowry’s 24/7/7 and Lou Williams’ 15/5 were solid contributions, but, unfortunately, those numbers don’t have anything to do with the defensive end of the floor, where they struggled to guard Walker and Henderson all night long.

Blazers (28-8) 99, Heat (15-21) 83

The Heat led 48-43 at the half but Portland exploded in the third quarter thanks to the play of LaMarcus Aldridge (24 points, 12 rebounds). The Blazers led by nine heading into the fourth, a period which the home team also dominated. Wesley Matthews scored 18 points including 3-5 from beyond the arc and Damian Lillard dropped 16 points and blocked 2 shots while rocking the headband look for the first time since his rookie year. Dwyane Wade (23 points, 7 rebounds) and Chris Bosh (18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) got absolutely no help from their teammates in the losing affair.

Kemba Walker is not in the discussion when it comes to the NBA’s elite point guards, but there’s no denying his clutch factor. With the game knotted at 94, Kemba drove to the right side of the lane and, despite an awkward release, banked home a floater plus the foul over Jrue Holiday with 1.4 seconds remaining. It was his third game-winner of the season, and oh yeah—he also dropped 31 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the process. Charlotte is 11-3 when Walker scores 30+ points in a game.

Kyrie Irving went 15-26 from the field for 38 points and Kevin Love overcame a slow start to finish with 17/16/4, but Cleveland lost its seventh game in nine outings as Dwight Howard simply dominated inside. It’s no secret that the Cavs are lacking in the center department, and D12 took full advantage with 17 points and 19 rebounds. James Harden (21 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 7 turnovers) flirted with a triple double and newly acquired Josh Smith (16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) was efficient, making 7 of his 10 shot attempts. In his first game as a Cavalier, JR Smith went 0-5 from the floor, failing to find any sort of rhythm—not even in pre-game warm-ups (see below). Also, in case you missed it, Cleveland has just acquired Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets for two first-round picks.

Bucks (19-18) 97, Sixers (5-29) 77

Milwaukee has now won five straight on the road as Brandon Knight (18 points, 5 assists), Khris Middleton (18 points, 5 steals) and company easily handled the lowly Sixers. The Bucks shot 54% from the field compared to Philadelphia’s atrocious 30%. Milwaukee got 37 points from its bench. Philly committed 24 turnovers. Nerlens Noel (13 points, 5 rebounds) and KJ McDaniels (14 points, 6 boards, 3 steals) were bright spots for the Sixers. Tony Wroten told reporters prior to the game that he’s “auditioning for everybody,” then proceeded to shoot 4-19 from the floor. It wouldn’t be a shock if he’s out the door soon.

Wizards (24-11) 101, Knicks (5-33) 91

Surprise, surprise: the Knicks are bad. Really, really bad.

New York has now dropped a franchise record 13 straight games, the latest coming at the hands of John Wall and the Wiz Kids. NYK dumped Iman Shumpert and JR Smith and were without Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire due to knee injuries, and, as a result, their starting five was as follows: Pablo Prigioni, Jose Calderon, Tim Hardaway JR, Quincy Acy and Cole Aldrich. You’re just not going to win an NBA game with that lineup. Scroll down to the clip of Aldrich and you’ll understand what kind of night it was for the Knicks.

Meanwhile, JWall picked up where he left off with the Knicks on Christmas by dropping a cool 18 points, 8 dimes and 3 steals. Nene banged down low and finished with 20 points, 6 boards and 4 assists. Marcin Gortat AKA the Polish Hammer provided a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Hawks (27-8) 96, Grizzlies (25-10) 86

The Hawks have been dubbed the “Spurs of the East,” and they certainly played like it last night against one of the toughest teams in the West: the Memphis Grizzlies. Atlanta has now won six straight overall and nine straight against Western Conference foes. For anyone who doubts that they can compete against the West, well, those numbers don’t lie. Jeff Teague scored 25 points, handed out 6 assists and grabbed 2 steals en route to his team’s 27th win of the season. Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Kyle Korver all contributed in major ways and Pero Antic led the charge off the bench. Memphis couldn’t find much offensive production apart from Marc Gasol’s 16 points and Mike Conley’s 17.

Celtics (12-21) 89, Nets (16-19) 81

Avery Bradley is showing us more and more that he can be an offensive threat in addition to being one of the league’s best on-ball defenders. The fifth-year PG out of Texas scored 21 points and pulled down 4 rebounds as the Celtics moved past the Nets to snap a three-game losing streak. Tyler Zeller was the other high scorer for Beantown, chipping in with 18 points on 7-14 shooting to go along with 6 boards and 4 dimes. While four starters scored in double figures for Brooklyn, the bench combined for only 18 points. The Nets were plagued with turnover issues, as well; they coughed up the rock 17 times to Boston’s 6. Despite jumping out to the early lead, BK couldn’t hold it together and will try to bounce back against Philadelphia on Friday.

Jazz (13-23) 97, Bulls (25-11) 77

Who saw this one coming? Two nights after showing Houston what was good with a 114-105 win, the Bulls slipped at home against the Jazz. The Bulls’ offense has been surprisingly good this season with the addition of Pau Gasol and the vast improvement made by Jimmy Butler, but the scoring just wasn’t there against Utah. Derrick Rose couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting 3-15 from the field for 7 points. Joakim Noah was 0-3 for 1 point and Kirk Hinrich went 0-5 to finish with a donut. Pau (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Butler (16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals) had good games but failed to get the necessary production from teammates. Chicago as a whole shot just 28-84 (33%) from the floor.

How ’bout them Pistons? Detroit is now 7-0 since getting rid of Josh Smith. Is it too soon to say that they look like a playoff team in the East? After dismantling the defending champion Spurs on Tuesday, the Stones beat up another tough Western Conference squad in Dallas. Greg Monroe was a force to be reckoned with against the Mavs last night, scoring 27 points and adding 18 rebounds and 6 assists. Brandon Jennings continued his strong play with 14 points and 6 dimes, while DJ Augustin shot lights out off the bench for 26 points (17 in the fourth) including 4 three-balls.

Orlando kept it close the entire way, but in the end, the Nuggets got the best of the Magic thanks in large part to Ty Lawson, who scored 23 points and dished out 5 assists. Arron Afflalo dropped 17 points and 6 rebounds against his former team, while Nate Robinson put up 13 and 7 off the bench. Nikola Vucevic eclipsed his scoring average with 20 to go with his usual 11 rebounds. Victor Oladipo posted 17 points, 6 assists and 4 steals in the loss. The Magic cut the lead to three with a minute left, but Evan Fournier couldn’t hit a game-tying long-ball.

Suns (22-16) 113, Timberwolves (5-29) 111

The T-Wolves were so close.

They were an Andrew Wiggins three-pointer away from breaking a brutal losing streak, but the ball clanked off the rim as the buzzer sounded. Minnesota has now lost 13 straight, to no fault of the aforementioned Canadian. The rook has now scored 20+ points in seven of his past eight games and he had it going last night, as well, dropping 25 points and collecting 3 steals. His teammates had no issues finding the cup, either; Mo Williams and Thaddeus Young scored 23 and 13, respectively. Even Anthony Bennett played well, coming out of his shell a bit to provide 14 points and 10 rebounds. However, it was the other side of the ball that was the problem for the struggling Wolves. Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas combined for 59 points and Gerald Green scored 15 of his 21 in the fourth quarter to apply pressure. Before Green’s three-point explosion in the final 12 minutes, PHX was just 2-20 from beyond the arc.

Kings (15-20) 104, Thunder (17-19) 83

Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Darren Collison combined for 75 points and the Kings ended their 12-game L streak. As he is so apt to do, Boogie controlled the post, coming away with 15 boards and 3 blocks. Russell Westbrook shot just 3-19 and committed 7 turnovers. KD and Serge Ibaka picked up some of the slack with 24 points/9 rebounds and 11 points/10 rebounds/8 blocks respectively, but OKC shot just 33% as a team. Dion Waiters shot 1-9 for 4 points in his Thunder debut.

Warriors (28-5) 117, Pacers (14-23) 102

The Splash Bros were on display last night, as Klay Thompson went for 40 (!) on 14-25 shooting and Steph Curry finished with 21 points, 15 dimes and 4 steals. After the game, Steve Kerr told reporters that his Warriors’ 117-102 win over the Pacers was one of his favorites of the season. The Pacers were up 11 early but GSW battled back and eventually took control in the second half. One center returned, another exited: Andrew Bogut came off the bench after missing 12 games with a right knee injury, and Roy Hibbert had to leave the game with a sprained ankle.

Clippers (24-12) 114, Lakers (11-25) 89

Blake Griffin’s 27 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals anchored the Clips’ 25-point blowout of the Lakers. CP3 did his thing, too; the savvy veteran PG had 24 points, 11 assists and 3 steals, and in typical fashion, made it all look easy. Matt Barnes had 19. Kobe Bryant shot an abysmal 2-12 for 4 points, yet he did have 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Jordan Hill’s 13 points and 5 rebounds were not enough to propel the Lake Show to a win against the other Los Angeles franchise. Best part about this game, and probably the night, though? Easy. Steve Ballmer going absolutely ham with the dance moves while Fergie performed:

Kemba’s wild floater off the glass gave the Hornets a dramatic, come-from-behind 98-94 win Wednesday night against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans.

Walker finished with 31 points, the third consecutive game he’s reached the 30-point mark.

Per the Charlotte Observer:

Any doubt of who was going to take the potential game-winning shot for the Charlotte Hornets? [...] “None,” said Hornets coach Steve Clifford. “I can’t answer many things so definitively, but I can tell you on that one.”

“I just tried to make a play. Time was running down and I was trying to get as far as I can to the basket and try to get a shot off,” said Walker. “I don’t how that ball went in. The angle was super-awkward. I just got it up.”

Even when the Hornets saw their late-game lead disappear, Walker said he never sensed any panic from his teammates. [...] “This is the NBA, teams are always going to make runs and you have to stay confident in yourself,” he said. “That’s what we did. We didn’t get down. We didn’t get frustrated. We just took it up another notch.”

Through 32 games so far this season, Jefferson has posted averages of 18 points and 8.2 rebounds.

From the press release:

Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson has been diagnosed with a strain of an adductor muscle in his left groin. Jefferson, who underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) earlier (Tuesday), is expected to miss a minimum of four weeks.

In 32 games this season, Jefferson leads the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 18.0 points (25th in the NBA) and 8.2 rebounds (T-17th in the NBA) in 32.2 minutes per game. The 6-10 center has scored in double figures in 28 of 32 games this season and has a team-leading 10 double-doubles along with a team-best 14 games of 20-plus points scored. He scored a season-high 34 points on Nov. 7 in the Hornets win vs. Atlanta.

Bird famously vouched for Born Ready when he entered the L, and helped guide his development.

Per the Indy Star:

“I’d be OK with it but it’s not up to me. Larry (Bird) has to decide if he fits,” Simon said prior to Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Stephenson, 24, played his first four years in the NBA with the Pacers and thrived during the 2013-14 with career-best averages of 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds – the most rebounds among guards in the league. However, Stephenson has not flourished in Charlotte after leaving in free agency. Stephenson’s shooting percentage (.389) and scoring average (10.4) have declined and the Hornets have started the season with a disappointing 6-17 record.

“First of all, we don’t know if they’re really trading him, at least I don’t know,” Simon said about the Hornets. “I know they made some calls and we would have to (figure out) how he fits back into the team. Those are all basketball decisions and Larry and Kevin (Pritchard) are the best to answer that.

After signing a three-year, $27 million deal last summer, Lance has averaged 10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5 assists through 23 games.

Per Yahoo! Sports:

Stephenson becomes eligible to be traded on Monday, and Charlotte has rapidly lost hope that its brief partnership with Stephenson can stand the test of time.

Indiana hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing back Stephenson, but appears unwilling to seriously engage the Hornets without the inclusion of a first-round pick in a potential deal, sources said. […] So far, Charlotte has shown no inclination to package a future draft pick to move Stephenson, league executives said.

Charlotte coach Steve Clifford has largely stopped using Stephenson in the fourth quarter and key stretches of games. The gulf between Stephenson and his Charlotte teammates has been growing, league sources said. Stephenson’s inability to co-exist on the floor with point guard Kemba Walker is among the primary reasons for the franchise’s desire to trade him, sources said.

Hornets PG Kemba Walker hit an acrobatic, game-winning lay-up at the buzzer to beat the Knicks 103-102 on Friday. Walker’s buzzer-beating shot snapped Charlotte’s 10-game losing streak, and almost more importantly, saved the Hornets the embarrassment of squandering a 20-point lead for the third time this season.

The grand experiment in Charlotte is off to a very rocky start — the Hornets (4-12) have played well below pre-season expectations, and are riding an ugly seven-game losing streak.

To make matters worse, free agent acquisition Lance Stephenson now finds himself in head coach Steve Clifford’s doghouse.

Born Ready has been benched in the fourth quarter of the past two games, and Clifford called out the 24-year old swingman Wednesday night following a 105-97 defeat to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.

Per the Charlotte Observer:

Asked about not playing these past two fourth quarters, Stephenson replied, “Hey it’s the coach’s decision. If he doesn’t play me in the fourth I’m just going to continue to work hard and do what it takes to win. Other than that I think I’m good. We just need to work harder. […] Hopefully coach figures out what we need to do to win games.”

“To be fair, and I’ve said this to him, one of the things that’s made it more difficult for him is he came here and people proclaimed him this next superstar,” Clifford said.

“He’s a talented kid. He’s 23 years old. He started two years and averaged 13 points a game. When Al Jefferson came here he’d averaged 19 and 10 for eight years. You knew what you were going to get. That’s what Lance needs to become. So in many ways it’s not fair. […] He’s not a star; he’s a guy who has the talent to be a star. To be a star in this league you’ve got to do this over years.”

I have the responsibility to safeguard the best interests of the league and all of its constituents. ln addition to its profound impact on victims, domestic violence committed by any member of the NBA family causes damage to the league and undermines the public’s confidence in it.

It is against this backdrop that I issue this opinion. ln the early morning of September 25, 2014, Jeffery Taylor of the Charlotte Hornets was arrested in East Lansing, Michigan after an altercation at a local Marriott hotel with a woman with whom he was having a romantic relationship. Mr. Taylor was charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic violence assault, one count of misdemeanor assault on a hotel security officer, and one count of malicious destruction of hotel property.

On October 29, 2014, Mr. Taylor pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence assault and malicious destruction of hotel property; the remaining assault charge with respect to the security officer was dismissed. Mr. Taylor was sentenced to 18 months of probation. As part of his probation, Mr. Taylor must complete 26 weeks in a domestic violence intervention program. Mr. Taylor also must enter an outpatient alcohol treatment program and perform alcohol sensor tests daily for 60 days, after which he will be subject to random testing by the Probation Department. Finally, Mr. Taylor must perform 80 hours of community service. lf Mr. Taylor successfully meets these and other conditions of his probation, his domestic violence assault charge will be dismissed. [...] ln the course of the NBA’s review of this matter, I received guidance from a group of domestic violence experts: Ted Bunch, Co-Founder of A Call To Men; Linda Fairstein, former Chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office; and Kalimah Johnson, Founder of SASHA Center, a Detroit-based healing and awareness center focusing on sexual assault. I also involved an internal group that focuses on education and counseling of players, including Kathy Behrens, the NBA’s Executive Vice President for Social Responsibility & Player Programs; Greg Taylor, the NBA’s Senior Vice President of Player Development; and Chrysa Chin, the NBA’s Vice President for Player Development; as well as Eric Hutcherson, the NBA’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

Mark Price is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets. As a member of a talented staff led by head coach Steve Clifford, Price has been an integral part of the Hornets’ newfound success over the last two years.

Before joining Clifford in Charlotte, the son of Oklahoma hoops legend Denny Price spent time coaching with the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic. The four-time NBA All-Star and all-time leader in playoff free throw percentage has also made coaching stops in high school, college and overseas since retiring after a 12-year NBA career in 1998.

While building off the momentum created by a postseason berth a year ago, Price has been working with Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the newly acquired Lance Stephenson, among other Hornets. Coach Price talked with SLAM about how the Charlotte group is progressing, along with what he learned by going through the interview process for the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach position last summer.

SLAM: With the season underway, what have been some of the messages or themes that you, Coach Clifford and other Hornets assistants like Patrick Ewing are talking about with the guys?

Mark Price: We’re trying to build off the success we had last year. We added some new pieces over the summer, so we have a different-looking team right now than we had last year. We lost Josh McRoberts, and we brought in Lance Stephenson, Marvin Williams, Brian Roberts, and two draft picks; so we have five new guys on our team. We got off to a slower start than we hoped, but I feel like we’re starting to play better now. Sometimes it just takes a little while with any new group of guys. But I like the way we’re starting to play.

SLAM: You mentioned adding Lance, a player with star-ability who’s shown up big in the postseason during his career with the Indiana Pacers. How are things going for Lance, adjusting to the new system, new plays, and new team in Charlotte?

MP: He’s coming along well. You always have to get a feel for your new teammates and the new system. For Lance, he played his entire career in Indiana. So there’s an adjustment there, learning a new system and new terminology. But we’re excited about his progress, and then also excited about what Lance brings to the team. His ability to pass the ball and rebound from the shooting guard position, facilitating offense, things like that. We didn’t really have that type of piece on our team last year. So we’re obviously excited to have him, and hopefully we can continue to keep getting better as the season progresses.

SLAM: How about the other New York kid, Kemba Walker? He just signed a four-year, $48 million extension. How has his approach been evolving in terms of leadership at point guard?

MP: Kemba’s been a great leader for us. He was our leader last year, and he continues to do that now. He really worked hard to continue to improve his game. He worked extremely hard over the summer, and he’s playing really well for us right now. His floor game has improved and that’s helped his ability to run the team. That’s an area of his growth. He can still score the ball, but he’s more comfortable running the offense and contributing in other ways. And then he also knows he’s going to be in Charlotte, like you said. He doesn’t have to worry about any of the contract stuff. He can just continue to concentrate on helping us win games.

SLAM: You and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist have a strong bond, you’ve spent a lot of time working with him. How is he progressing in his third NBA season?

MP: Mike probably had the best summer of anybody on our team. He just worked extremely hard. We spent a lot of time together, working on improving his jump shot. And he’s made tremendous progress in that area. He’s playing with a lot more confidence. He was probably our best player during the preseason for us. Unfortunately, he’s banged up a little bit right now, not playing for a few games. But he’s just that guy who defends the best player on the other team every night. He brings that energy level. And now that he’s confident he can knock down that 15-foot jumper, you can see him just add even more confidence to other areas of his game, and it’s helping him really grow.

SLAM: The Cavaliers—a franchise that has your No. 25 hanging from the rafters—requested to speak with you during their head-coaching search this summer. What did you learn, or how did you grow as a coach, by going through that interview process?

MP: I think you can grow from every experience you have. That experience helped me take another step as a coach. It was an honor to be considered, and I was excited that the Cavs wanted to talk with me about the position. You know how I feel about Cleveland, and the people of Cleveland, so that was just a real thrill to be considered by the Cavs. It was also a great experience to have the chance to talk with [Cleveland GM] David Griffin, talk about philosophy, talk about others things. And it was just kind of another step forward for me, helping me to get better and grow as a coach.

SLAM: As a Cleveland sports icon and Cavs hero, obviously you’re focused on the task at hand in Charlotte, but seeing or hearing about how Cleveland was as a city on opening day to celebrate LeBron’s return, what was your reaction? I know the Hornets haven’t been to Cleveland yet, but just as a former Cavaliers player, what is it like to see the festive atmosphere and energy back in Northeast Ohio?

MP: When I learned that LeBron was going back to Cleveland, I was really happy for the city. And the team. I want the Cavs to always do great, except for every time they play the Charlotte Hornets [Laughs]. But I was, and I am, extremely happy for the city of Cleveland and everything going on right now with Lebron’s return and the team they have. Having played there, I know what great people Cavs fans are, and the energy has been really great to see.

SLAM: You joined Twitter a few months ago (@Mark25Price). How is your Twitter game coming along?

MP: It’s just been fun. It’s a new experience for me. My wife kind of tricked me into getting on Twitter. My wife actually communicates with a lot of Cleveland fans, and they made a Twitter site for me. So when they turned it over, I really didn’t have to do too much to create it [Laughs]. But you know, I’m trying to throw a tweet out there every once in a while, trying to get a feel for it. I’ll get better at Twitter eventually.

Brendan Bowers is an NBA writer who covers the Cavaliers and the NBA in Cleveland for SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @BowersCLE. Image via Getty.

Charlotte, NC—Lance Stephenson was the man last night in Charlotte. With 2.7 seconds left Stephenson hit a game-winning three at the top of the key to give the Hornets a 122-119 win in double overtime.

Said Hornets coach Steve Clifford after the game: “Lance is starting to feel more comfortable these last two games. He’s talented and competitive. That game-winner should give him the confidence he needs.”

Stephenson put up 17 points and grabbed 13 boards in 47 minutes. In the final timeout with 2.7 seconds left in the second overtime period, he looked at coach Clifford and said, “C’mon coach, let me get this shot.”

“I haven’t made a shot all season. This was my first game-winner. I had a lot of emotion come out. I just got real hype,” said Stephenson.

Emotion was right. After the shot banked in and buzzer sounded, Stephenson jumped on to the score’s table and embraced the screaming fans.

Al Jefferson also scored a season-high 34 points. He said was pretty happy that Lance hit that shot because his body began cramping up so badly he wouldn’t have been able to survive another five-minute period.

“Lance is hard as nails. You know them New York guys. You see when he got the ball what he did with it. I ain’t mad at him,” said Jefferson.

The Hornets now improve to 3-3 after beating the Hawks at Time Warner Cable Arena for the first time since 2011 with a big help from the bench that combined for 41 points. Gary Neal did his part adding 23 while Cody Zeller recorded his second consecutive double-figure scoring night with 10 points. Rookie PJ Hairston was first off the bench, replacing Gerald Henderson, and made immediate noise by knocking down a deep corner three and drawing a foul.

Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford controlled the game for the Hawks with 24 points with help from Jeff Teague (22 points) and Kyle Korver (20). Teague also had 15 assists, posting his first double-double of the season.

The Hornets have now snapped a six-game home losing streak against the Hawks. They’ll head to Los Angeles to face the Lakers with two division wins under their belt. The Hawks travel to New York tonight to face the Knicks.

“Michael wasn’t very well informed about this, I think he might’ve just been trying to give Ahmad [Rashad] an extra ratings boost on his show,” Obama continued.

“But there is no doubt that Michael is a better golfer than I am. Of course if I was playing twice a day for the last 15 years, then that might not be the case. […] He might want to spend more time thinking about the Bobcats — or the Hornets,” Obama added.

Obama went on to say that he loved for Jordan for the championships he won with the Chicago Bulls.

Down by a basket in the dying moments of the fourth quarter Sunday night against the New York Knicks, the Charlotte Hornets were shocked when referee Kevin Cutler whistled them for a five-second violation (effectively ending the game.)

“He called five seconds, man, I’m not going to say anything that’s going to get me in trouble,” said Hornets forward Marvin Williams, who was whistled for a five-second inbounds infraction with :36.6 left in the game.

“He called five seconds. Do I think it was five seconds? No, if that’s what you’re asking. But that’s what he called,” Williams said.

“I’ll watch it on the film. I haven’t seen it yet,” Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said diplomatically after no doubt watching it on film before addressing the inquiring minds of the media. […] “No, I don’t think it was five seconds. More like three,” Lance Stephenson said.

The last time we saw a Charlotte Hornets-Milwaukee Bucks matchup, Jabari Parker was just seven years old. It was April 2002, and Ray Allen went for 47 points and the win.

In their return to Charlotte twelve years later, the Hornets looked dead in the water until battling back from a 24-point third quarter deficit—the largest comeback in franchise history. Kemba Walker’s 16 second-half points were highlighted by a three-ball with 1.6 remaining to send it to overtime. With the game knotted at the end of OT, Kemba hit his signature stepback move, rose up, and nailed another jumper—this time from a step inside the three-point line—to win 108-106 and successfully ruin Jabari’s NBA debut.

Charlotte boasted a balanced scoring attack, as four starters attained double figures. Newly acquired Lance Stephenson posted near-triple-double numbers with 7 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists in 40 minutes. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist showed off a new and improved jumper, shooting 75% from the field for 17 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Brandon Knight was Milwaukee’s top performer with a 22/13/8 line, while Parker struggled to find the cup, finishing 3-9 for 8 points, despite looking frighteningly good on one coast-to-coast play.

Pacers (1-0) 103, 76ers (0-1) 91

After losing Paul George and Lance Stephenson to injury and free agency, respectively, it’s no secret that the Pacers need to find other scoring options to win games. Well, that’s exactly what they did, at least for one night in October.

Roy Hibbert led the way for Indiana with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 blocks. Donald Sloan and Rodney Stuckey chipped in with 16 points apiece, and CJ Miles added 15 of his own. Meanwhile, Philadelphia shot just 38 percent from the field, including a horrific 6-21 from long distance. After missing all of last season with a torn ACL, Nerlens Noel finally got to play in an NBA game, shooting just 2-11 from the field but grabbing 10 boards in 35 minutes. The lone offensive bright spot for the Embiid-less Sixers was Tony Wroten, who dropped 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and this ferocious dunk over Ian Mahinmi.

Celtics (1-0) 121, Nets (0-1) 105

Rajon Rondo must’ve woken up on the right side of the bed after declaring himself a “nap-time” decision for the C’s opener, because he decided to suit up and play against Brooklyn on Wednesday night. And, despite missing the entire pre-season, Rondo showed no signs of rust when it comes to what he does best: dishing out dimes. Number 9 handed out 12 assists to go along with 13 points and 7 rebounds to lead Boston in a 16-point rout of the Nets.

The Celtics coasted to victory thanks to eight players scoring in double figures. Kelly Olynyk dropped 19, Jeff Green added 17, and Marcus Smart finished with 10 points and 4 steals in his rookie debut. The Nets looked solid on offense, led by D-Will, Joe Johnson, and Mirza Teletovic, but they simply failed to contain Boston on the other end of the floor.

Heat (1-0) 107, Wizards (0-1) 95

The Heat and the Wiz were neck-and-neck for most of the night until Miami took control thanks to big buckets from starters down the stretch. Chris Bosh, D-Wade, and Norris Cole combined for 70 points as Miami started its post-LeBron era off on the right foot. Newcomer Luol Deng added 12 points on 4-8 shooting, and James Ennis made the play of the game when he came down the lane and obliterated Washington’s Rasual Butler with a poster dunk.

The real story of this game, however, was the way Bosh played. All signs are pointed to his having a huge year—even shades of his Toronto years, perhaps? If his 26/15/4 statline in Game 1 of 82 is of any sort of indication whatsoever, then he’s certainly on the right track. It’ll be interesting to see what he has in store for the remaining 81.

Raptors (1-0) 109, Hawks (0-1) 102

The Hawks were within four points of the Raptors with 32 ticks left, but Toronto extended its lead late to seal it thanks to a pair of free throws from DeMar DeRozan (after he bricked two but got his own rebound on the second miss) and a fast break dunk from Patrick Patterson. DeRozan and Kyle Lowry shot just 4-16 and 3-11 from the field, respectively, but the rest of T. Dot’s starters picked up the slack; Jonas Valanciunas went for 17 and 8 and Amir Johnson finished with 16 and 10. The Raps’ backcourt found other ways to get involved—DeRozan had career highs in rebounds (11) and steals (6), while Lowry dropped 10 assists. The Hawks were led by Jeff Teague’s 20 points and 8 assists as Atlanta lost despite shooting 13-22 (6 courtesy of Kyle Korver) from the three-point stripe.

Grizzlies (1-0) 105, Timberwolves (0-1) 101

The Grizzlies squeezed past the Timberwolves in the night’s closest game apart from Hornets-Bucks. The T-Wolves’ front line couldn’t do anything to stop Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph; the two bruisers had a field day, combining for 57 points and 22 rebounds. The game was deadlocked at 96 until the Grizz took the lead on a Z-Bo layup and never looked back. Interior play factored heavily into the outcome, as Memphis outscored Minny 58-34 in the paint. Ricky Rubio looked good for Minnesota with 12 points and 7 assists, but he also turned the rock over seven times. Thad Young was on the receiving end of many of those dimes, finishing with a team-high 26 points. Andrew Wiggins started but played only 19 minutes in his debut, dropping 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Bulls (1-0) 104, Knicks (0-1) 80

Derrick Rose didn’t have to do too much in his much-anticipated return to the hardwood. In fact, he only played seven minutes in the second half, because by then, the first game of ESPN’s double-header was well out of hand. DRose finished with 13 and 5, but we should see a boost in those numbers as he continues to get reps. Pau Gasol’s 21 and 11 plus Taj Gibson’s 22 and 8 were the high marks for Chicago, while no one wearing blue and orange could even muster 15, not even Melo. The Knicks looked sloppy and out of sync in its first game under Derek Fisher’s tutelage, and they appeared uncomfortable trying to run the triangle offense that Phil Jackson made look so sweet.

Chicago’s bench was sensational in the 24-point blowout at MSG. In the first half, the Bulls’ second string shot 13-17, while their starters went just 6-23. Dougie McBuckets and Nikola Mirotic should be reliable outside threats for Chi-town this season.

Nuggets (1-0) 89, Pistons (0-1) 79

The Manimal was on full display at the Pepsi Center last night. Kenneth Faried brought his usual energy and finished with a team-high 22 points and 17 rebounds as the Nuggets handed the Pistons the L in a low-scoring affair. Arron Afflalo pitched in with 15 and Timofey Mozgov added 13 at the center position. Detroit was stale on offense, with no player besides Josh Smith (25 points) really asserting himself. Andre Drummond did, however, deliver a couple of monster dunks. The game shifted when the Nuggs took the lead on a 9-0 third quarter run and carried that momentum with them into the fourth quarter.

Rockets (2-0) 104, Jazz (0-1) 93

Dwight Howard scored 10 of Houston’s first 12 points and the Rockets never trailed after taking the lead with 2:43 left to go in the first half. After a blistering start, D12 finished the game with 22 points on 10-16 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. James Harden posted 18/10/7 and free agent acquisition Trevor Ariza provided 20/5/4 to help Houston improve to 2-0 on the year. Alec Burks and Derrick Favors led Utah in scoring, dropping 18 and 16, respectively, in the loss.

Suns (1-0) 119, Lakers (0-2) 99

It’s going to be a looong season for the Los Angeles Kobes. After getting trounced by the Rockets in Tuesday night’s opener, L.A. looked no better against a Phoenix team that was finding buckets every which way. Bryant had 25 field goal attempts—as many shots as the rest of the Lakers’ starters combined—and he didn’t even play the fourth. The Black Mamba connected on more shots (11) than any other Laker even attempted, finishing with 31/4/3.

The Suns shone, as all five starters reached double figures in scoring. PHX’s backcourt trio of Goran Dragic, freshly resigned Eric Bledsoe, and newly acquired 5-9 dynamo Isaiah Thomas combined for 57 points. Power forward Marcus Morris shot 57 percent from the field with 21 points. In other words, Phoenix cruised to victory in the night’s biggest blowout. The only hiccup for them occurred in the third quarter, when Bledsoe was ejected for kicking the scorer’s table, upset over a clear no-call with his team up 25.

Warriors (1-0) 95, Kings (0-1) 77

Steph Curry (24/10/5/6) led an undermanned Warriors squad in a decisive win over the Kings in Steve Kerr’s head coaching debut. Curry did Curry things, and Klay Thompson showed out as well with 19 points and 6 assists. Marreese Speights delievered 16 on 8-13 shooting off the bench as Golden State beat Sacramento handily. Boogie Cousins, a player whom many feel is primed for a huge season after playing well in this summer’s FIBA World Cup, dropped 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, yet fell victim to the turnover bug with 6 costly giveaways.

Trailblazers (1-0) 106, Thunder (0-1) 89

With KD likely to miss a good chunk of the season, Russell Westbrook is tasked with shouldering much of the Thunder’s load offensively. Last night, Russ shot 11-26 for 38 points including 26 in the first half. It wasn’t enough to conquer Portland, however, as the next highest scorer for OKC was Lance Thomas (yes, Lance Thomas) with just 14. The Blazers, meanwhile, had no trouble finding the bottom of the net. LaMarcus Aldridge came up big with 27 points despite just 3 rebounds, and Wesley Matthews (22 points), Nicolas Batum (16 points), and Chris Kaman (12 points) all chipped in.

A Friday deadline loomed for the deal, otherwise Walker would have become a restricted free agent next summer.

Kemba posted averages of 17.7 points and 6.1 assists, and helped drive the Bobcats towards the second playoff berth in franchise history.

Per the Charlotte Observer:

At mid-afternoon Tuesday, Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan said he was intent on signing Kemba Walker to a contract extension by Friday’s NBA deadline.

Five hours later the deal was done. Walker and the Hornets have agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal that will start in 2015-16, according to a knowledgeable source.

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Jordan laid out the importance of retaining Walker and center Al Jefferson, who can opt out of the final year of his contract this summer. […] “I’d much rather get Kemba done before the season starts,” Jordan said. “Ultimately that’s what I intend to accomplish. We’re in real conversations. I’m hopeful. Really hopeful. They are core pieces of what we’re trying to do. I’d like to keep both of those guys. I say I’d like to, and I’d spend the money that’s appropriate. I’ll make every attempt to keep them.”

Today, Charlotte Hornets principal owner Michael Jordan took over the @Hornets twitter account to have a little fun with fans on the day the 2014-15 NBA season tips off. He took a selfie, chided players for having messy lockers, and even took a friendly shot at a Jordan athlete in a different sport. But the tweet that made us do a double-take was this one:

“I’m always dreaming about that seventh ring,” Jordan said. “And to get to that would be much more gratifying” than the previous six he won with the Chicago Bulls.

“I played this game for a long time and I always took criticism in a way that’s going to make me better as a basketball player and I could affect the game per se,” Jordan said. “Here, I can’t do that other than talking to my other employees or coaches or players.”

With the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers selling for $550 million and $2 billion, respectively, Jordan’s investment — in March 2010, Jordan agreed to buy 80 percent of the team from Bob Johnson on a valuation of about $275 million. Jordan’s stake — as arranged in the original deal — jumped up to 89 percent in 2013 — has almost tripled. […] “That wasn’t my reason for getting in,” Jordan said. “The reason for getting in was because I love basketball. Bob presented an opportunity to me which I’m very thankful of and a dream of mine to own a basketball team. I understood the city of Charlotte and the state of North Carolina is basketball country. I felt like I could contribute and make a difference within this franchise from an ownership standpoint … That was my purpose for buying.”

Co-coinciding with the franchise’s move back to Charlotte, the Hornets announced Thursday plans to honor the late Bobby Phills, by re-hanging his retired No. 13 jersey during a halftime ceremony during November 1.

The jersey was originally raised to the rafters on February 9, 2000, following Phills’ untimely death a month earlier.

From the press release:

The halftime ceremony, which will include members of the Phills family and several of Phills’ former Charlotte Hornets teammates, will feature a video and remarks on behalf of the family and the organization before the No. 13 jersey once again resumes its place as the lone retired number in Hornets history.

A 6-5 guard, Phills signed with the Hornets prior to the 1997-98 season and played in 133 games for the team prior to his untimely death on January 12, 2000. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 32.2 minutes per game during his time in Charlotte. The nine-year NBA veteran spent his first six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was named to the All-Defensive Second Team following the 1995-96 season.

Anybody else got Hornets fever? MJ is bringing back the old color scheme, the backcourt features Kemba Walker & Lance Stephenson, and their center is Al Jefferson, possibly the game’s best on the offensive end. They’ve got a crop of high-potential forwards in MKG, Cody Zeller, Noah Vonleh, Bismack Biyombo and PJ Hairston, plus Gerald Henderson and Marvin Williams as reliable dudes on the wing.

They allowed the fourth-fewest points in the League last year, and then added Lance! This might be the third-best team in the East.

Anyway, as everybody knows, the only cure for Hornets fever is watching Glen Rice drop 42 on that old beautiful court.

Last month, we gave you an exclusive behind-the-scenes piece with Born Ready, as he returned to his old stomping grounds of Coney Island, Brooklyn this past summer to train with CI legend Jamel Thomas, while also spending some time in the community with old friends and neighbors — a trip he told us allowed him to “re-up” and get his “aggressiveness and [his] attitude back.” Now above is the very inspiring video of Stephenson’s stay in Brooklyn that demonstrates his second-to-none work ethic, as well as the genuinely engaging attitude with his fellow Coney Island peers. We can’t wait to watch him and Kemba Walker lead the all-NYC backcourt to new territory in Charlotte this season.

MJ says his stance on the issue is based on overall revenue, and a burning desire to play the game.

Per ESPN:

“I love both of those guys, but as an owner who played the game, I loved playing,” Jordan said. “If I wasn’t playing 82 games, I still would’ve been playing somewhere else because that’s the love for the game I had. As a player, I never thought 82 games was an issue. […] But if that’s what they want to do, we as owners and players can evaluate it and talk about it. But we’d make less money as partners. Are they ready to give up money to play fewer games? That’s the question, because you can’t make the same amount of money playing fewer games.”

He said the league informed its clubs of its intention to play a 44-minute game but that it was not presented as something the league is seriously considering instituting in the regular season. […] “I would never shorten the game by four minutes,” Jordan said, “unless guys were having physical issues.”

“It’s not like football,” he said. “We don’t really have to worry about concussions and some of the physical damage that football players deal with after they retire. I can understand football players wanting to play fewer games from a physical standpoint. But basketball’s not the same. I’m not diminishing the fact that we go through a grueling season. But I wouldn’t want to shorten the game or play 15-20 fewer games.”

Henderson missed practice Tuesday, and Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Henderson “tweaked” the hamstring and was sent for an MRI. Based on Clifford’s comments last week, Henderson and small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are competing for the last of five starting spots, with newcomer Lance Stephenson starting at either shooting guard or small forward.

Henderson spoke about the importance of the preseason Monday in reference to center Al Jefferson missing six preseason exhibitions a year ago. […] “When you’re healthy and everything is going like it usually does, you don’t think about the steps you’re taking,” Henderson said. “You work out, you have the preseason and then you have games. It’s a process. You can’t skip steps.”

Asheville, NC—It’s all smiles and laughs when you see Al Jefferson during Hornets training camp.

He praises the team’s front office for drafting PJ Hairston and Noah Vonleh as well as picking up new weapons, Lance Stephenson and Marvin Williams, in free agency. When asked if he ever feels pressure being the team’s go-to man, and Jefferson jokingly smiles and laughs, saying, “I averaged 42 points a game my senior of high school. I’m used to being the go-to guy and I love it. But it’s not all about being the go-to guy but making your teammates better.”

The 29-year-old finished last season averaging 21 points and 10 boards per game. Though his offensive game is well polished, his main focus is to be less of a defensive liability. He refuses to taken advantage of in high pick and rolls.

Kemba Walker isn’t letting his contract extension get in the way of focusing on the upcoming season, Walker says “if it comes it comes, I just been focusing on getting better with my teammates and looking forward to the season.”

Walker is excited to have Brian Roberts with the squad. “Brian has been around for some time and he knows how to run a court. So when I come out of the game there won’t be much lacking, so I’m happy,” said Walker.

The NBA is filled with big men who run fast, jump high, and shoot from far away from the basket. Al Jefferson is not a part of that era. Big Al is a throwback big man in a league of power forwards and centers who are stretching the floor to its limits.

Through his career, Jefferson has earned the title “professor” from his many admirers for the way he’s turned the block into his classroom. Specifically, the left block, where Jefferson sets up on seemingly every possession for Charlotte. Big Al doesn’t run many pick-and-roll plays, and he’s effective with the short jumper, but the post is where he earns his money, with moves and countermoves that even the most old school would approve of. Spins, quick hooks, up-and-unders. Jefferson has it all down low.

The contract Jefferson signed to come to Charlotte a year ago was lampooned at the time, a three-year, $41 million deal to be the centerpiece. Instead of putting up huge numbers on an awful team, Jefferson made himself worth every penny of his deal and was in the center of the Bobcats, now the Hornets, rising to respectability in the Eastern Conference. It was the perfect confluence of circumstances: a franchise in need of a fulcrum, a coach able to maximize the talent on hand and a star player reaching the prime of his career.

It didn’t surprise many that Jefferson put up 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds a night in 2014, though All-NBA honors were a little unexpected. It was easy to assume that his stats would be empty, coming for a bottom-dwelling team. No one expected Charlotte would turn into a frisky playoff team in the East, making a run from the bottom of the conference in the early days of the season to the No. 7 spot. The team gelled around Jefferson as the season went on, with point guard Kemba Walker coming into his own as a solid secondary option. The Cats seemed poised to give the Heat at least a headache in the first round, with their solid team defense and no answer for Jefferson down low.

Injuries happen, though, and for Jefferson they happened at the wrong time. Al tore his plantar fascia in Game 1 against Miami after torching them to start the game. It was painful watching him gut through the foot injury for the next two and a half games. Still, he put up double-doubles in the first two games and scored 20 in Game 3 before he just couldn’t go any farther. Even though he led the Bobcats on an uphill climb to reach the postseason, they couldn’t ride on a bum wheel.

Now called the Hornets, Charlotte loaded up around Big Al this summer, signing Lance Stephenson and a handful of veterans and drafting Noah Vonleh and PJ Hairston. They look ready to challenge for bigger and better things in the East. Jefferson is ready for it, and he’s certainly not satisfied with the new heights he led his franchise to last spring.

For all his brilliance on the block, Jefferson is not a good defender. He’s not fleet enough to stay in front of guys, he doesn’t jump high enough to protect the rim. Jefferson’s deficiencies are one of the reasons his signing was knocked, and it’s one of the reasons Charlotte’s first-time head coach Steve Clifford was lauded for building a top-10 defense around him. Jefferson knows it, too, and he wants to change that perception of himself.

“I refuse to continue getting picked on at the end of games. It’s not fun,” Jefferson told the Charlotte Observer. “I’d pick on me too. So I want to take the challenge to get better at that so it’s not an option they always go to.”

Leave it to a professor to put it in such simple terms.

One of the keys to self-improvement is knowing you need to improve, and Jefferson is past that stage. Clifford has told the media of his big man’s progress on that end of the court. Jefferson, just like the Hornets as an organization, wants and expects more in this first year of teal and purple. For the first time since basketball came back to the Tar Heel state, this franchise is on the upswing. The taste of success they got in the first round back in May isn’t going to suffice. The Hornets beefed up with youth, with veterans and added the some of the sickest jerseys in the League to their arsenal. In a conference that looks as evened-out as ever.

Al Jefferson will be there powering the Hornets in the Hive, holding class down there on the post.

“There’s a reason (teams pick on his defense) – I’d pick on me too,” Jefferson said following morning practice Wednesday at UNC Asheville. “So I want to take the challenge to get better at that so it’s not an option they always go to. And they do go to it, so I’m culpable.” […] “I refuse to continue getting picked on at the end of games. It’s not fun,” Jefferson said. “Last year at the end of games teams always put me in high pick-and-rolls. I got sick of them thinking that was to their advantage, and it was to their advantage.”

Clifford found it appealing that Jefferson brought up the subject of his defensive flaws, rather than the coaches having to raise the issue. […] “He’s working hard. His attitude is great. I sense more of a hunger than any kind of complacency,” Clifford said. “He sees what the possibilities are for the group. He’s competitive and wants to win.”

“We all left with a bad taste in our mouths,” Jefferson said about being swept out of the Playoffs by the Miami Heat last season. “I feel like without that [plantar fascia] injury we would have won a couple of (playoff) games and had a chance to win the series. If we’d won Game 2, we would have come back to Charlotte tied 1-1 and who knows what might have happened.”

Asheville, NC—Day 2 is down in the books at the Charlotte Hornets training camp.

The focus of the Hornets camp Wednesday fell heavily on big man, Al Jefferson. Jefferson says he’s completely healed from his “plantar fascia” injury that plagued him throughout last season’s Playoffs series against the Miami Heat. He described the sharp pain on the bottom of his foot as walking on hot coals. Jefferson said he wakes up every morning with tightness, but it hasn’t affected him.

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said Marvin Williams and Lance Stephenson will start alongside Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson. That means the last starting role is still a toss up between Gerald Henderson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Walker continues to be a force to reckon with, improving as a floor lenient and playmaker. Recently signed backup point guard Brian Roberts should allow Walker to conserve energy for the end of games.

Lance Stephenson seems to be fitting in perfectly with his new team. Clifford expressed Wednesday how excited he is to have the ex-Indiana star, but says he’s far from a finished product. Clifford says he doesn’t want Lance to see himself as a scorer first but rather to focus on versatility. Lance may have dreams of being the next big rapper but he said he’s putting that on hold until the summertime for now it’s all “basketball, basketball, basketball.”

Kidd-Gilchrist has made huge strides in the team’s offseason in both conditioning by dropping 8 pounds and developing a reliable jump shot. MKG said, “I’ve completely revamped my whole shot. It’s not just one thing, I worked on footwork to basic fundamentals.”

Williams, heading into his 10th season, has become a productive player throughout his career. He has a nice three-point shot and can defend multiple positions. As for first-round pick Noah Vonleh, he hopes to be cleared to practice in the next two to three weeks. Vonleh has been cleared by doctors to use the elliptical machine and start some light shooting and jogging.

The Hornets are not yet a title-contending team, but an Eastern Conference playoff threat for sure. They’re a defensive threat with a deep, talented bench. The Hornets should absolutely be on your radar this season.

One of the more peculiar (read: hideous) jumpshots in the NBA has been abolished. Third-year Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has spent months diligently working to fix his funky-looking shot,

The 21-year old has averaged 8.2 points on 46% shooting from the field throughout his career. The coaching staff reports that the results from MKG’s new release have so far been positive.

Per the Charlotte Observer:

“Does it feel that different? Well, it’s going in a lot more,” Kidd-Gilchrist said with a big grin. “I believe in the process. I started in April and it feels great.”

“Process” is the buzzword in this topic. Kidd-Gilchrist used it three times during a 10-minute discussion. Assistant coach Mark Price used it a constantly during another interview at media day Monday. […] Process is code for “If this were easily fixed, it would have been a long time ago.” Consider the numbers: Over his first two NBA seasons Kidd-Gilchrist attempted 18 3-point shots. He made three of those, a gruesome 16.7 percent success rate.

“I’ve never seen anybody’s shooting mechanics change more drastically, in the year or so Mark has worked with him,” [head coach] Steve Clifford said Monday. “He’s not Dell Curry, and that’s important for him to understand and us to understand. He’s played one way his whole life. Mike has always caught it and said, ‘I’ll drive it or pass it.’ Now he has more ability to shoot the ball. […] If he can get to that point where he makes some shots, he’ll have a much different career.”

After two obstacle-laden years to begin his NBA career, Lance Stephenson reversed course over the past two seasons, going from nearly out of a job to now earning $9 million annually. The Coney Island native—and personal favorite of mine—finally established his footing in the League and is sprinting toward an All-Star career.

The casual fan—and, sadly, many media types—recognizes Stephenson only for his antics on national television, particularly in the Eastern Conference finals vs Miami. But few examine Stephenson from a “bigger picture” standpoint—his young but already up-and-down career, and how his past experiences will help shape the player he’ll grow into. So before we look ahead to next season, let’s briefly recap how we arrived here.

Drafted by Indiana with the 40th pick in 2010—directly after Andy Rautins and L-La-Landry Fields—Stephenson totaled a measly 115 minutes as a rookie. His NBA career was hanging in the balance, playing on a non-guaranteed deal and going through a serious legal dispute. If convicted, the Pacers would’ve cut him and his NBA career would’ve gone up in flames. While fellow rookies John Wall, Evan Turner and Paul George were getting acclimated to the League, Stephenson could only hope for a chance to check in at the scorer’s table. He finally got that chance in late February, but it came at a point in the season when the team’s rotation was firmly established. Barely playing as a rookie and without much support inside the locker room, Stephenson’s future was—to put it generously—in limbo.

Stephenson’s second season was no more auspicious that his first. He logged just 442 minutes, riding the bench behind the likes of Dahntay Jones, Darren Collison and AJ Price.

Then, in 2012-13, it finally clicked. The Pacers gave Lance a real opportunity in his third season, and the rest has been history.

Over the last two seasons, Stephenson has emerged from the depths of the NBA to play a featured role on a team that has achieved consecutive Eastern Conference finals appearances. He’s played 2,278 and 2,752 minutes in the last two seasons, respectively, and started 150 of a possible 164 games. Stephenson has learned how to bully defenders using a strong upper body, improved his court sense and vision, and developed the ancillary skills to become a borderline All-Star.

If you dig deeper into his production last season, the numbers suggest Stephenson is only flirting with his prime, and he could emerge as a top-tier NBA guard as early as next season.

Now, at only 24 years old, Stephenson will take Larry Bird’s wisdom and his own extensive post-season experience and try to impart it in Buzz City.

From my perspective, things look bright. He’ll be a primary playmaker in Charlotte, reuniting with fellow New Yorker and defensive menace Kemba Walker in the backcourt, surrounded by shooters in PJ Hairston, Gary Neal and Gerald Henderson on the wings, and will have the luxury of playing with maybe the best offensive center in the NBA, Al Jefferson.

The Hornets will afford Stephenson certain freedoms the Pacers never did. They’ll give him the rock and let him make decisions, no questions asked. They’ll give him a wide margin of error, and trust that even though he’ll make some mistakes along the way, the totality of his impact will be a plus for the team. He’ll be both a primary and secondary ball handler, able to spell Walker at PG but also spot up on the wing. He can push the ball on the break, run the pick-and-roll with Jefferson in the half court, and get others involved with ease. Stephenson is exactly the type of shot-creating spark-plug Charlotte needs. The signing makes sense from a career evolution standpoint for Stephenson, and a roster construction standpoint for the Hornets.

Let’s take a deeper look at some of Lance’s offensive strengths, as well as areas of improvement heading into next season.

Strengths

Size and Finishing Ability

Stephenson has a mini-LeBron James type of build, able to bulldoze his way into the paint, absorb contact and finish at the cup. He converted an excellent 62% of his attempts around the basket last season, and his 1.23 points per attempt ranked in the top 13th percentile of all NBA players, per Synergy Sports.

Finishing

And-Ones

Stephenson can absorb contact in mid-air and still finish with grace. He recorded 36 and-ones last season on 1,090 field-goal attempts. By comparison, Paul George finished 44 and-ones on 1,677 attempts.

Rebounding

Pick-and-Roll

The pick-and-roll is Stephenson’s favorite set in the half court. He operated out of the P-n-R on 23 percent of his offensive plays last season, and converted an excellent 59% of his driving attempts off screens. He’s simply too strong when he has a head of steam going to the basket.

In Charlotte, with floor-spacing shooters on the wings and Jefferson commanding the paint, these driving lanes will only get wider for Stephenson next season.

Transition

Despite finishing only 54% of his transition attempts last season, Stephenson has become an effective open court player when you watch the tape. He’s an excellent ball handler, and can change speed and direction as quick as anyone in the League. When he picks up momentum, it’s nearly impossible to stop him.

Court Vision (Passing)

Stephenson has developed elite-level court vision since entering the NBA. He was never a particularly crisp passer in high school or at Cincinnati, but Stephenson put in the work and commitment in Indiana to embrace his role as the Pacers’ primary (only?) facilitator, and is now an excellent passer.

Stephenson can read the floor from any spot, hit moving cutters, and feed the post. When he attacks off the dribble and gets into the lane, Born Ready can drop it to a big man, or kick it out to an open shooter. He constantly puts pressure on the defense, and can hit open teammates in the blink of an eye.

Transition Passing

Pick-and-Roll Passing

–

Weaknesses/Areas of Improvement

Turnovers/Out of Control

Turnovers are my biggest concern with Stephenson. With increased usage in Charlotte next season, there’s a chance he could become even more turnover prone. Last season, he turned the ball over on 26% of his transition possessions, ranking dead last among 75 players with a minimum 150 TRAN possessions. He also coughed up the rock on 24% of his pick-and-roll possessions, ranking 81st out of 88 players with a minimum of 150 Pick-and-Roll possessions.

Stephenson has a penchant to waste dribbles and try to do too much. There’s give-and-take with him, but as Lance steps into a leadership role with the Hornets, he must improve his composure and decision making in the painted area. Too often he loses control in the paint, resulting in an off-balance shot or ill-advised pass.

Turnovers/Reckless Plays

Wild Runners

Shaky Jump Shot

Stephenson has improved his shooting every year since entering the League. As of right now, though, he’s still not a “knockdown shooter.”

Stephenson can shoot off the catch or the bounce, but his mechanics are wacky. His release point is inconsistent, particularly from mid-range where he angles his body left and right. Stephenson has done a good job of playing within the flow of the offense and not jacking up shots, but he could still be more patient to set his feet and square his body on the release. He’s capable but he needs to be more consistent.

Mid-Range Struggles

Mid-Range Makes (capable)

3-Point Shooting

–

Bottom Line

As a longtime Stephenson supporter, it’s gratifying to see him finally sitting comfortably inside the #SLAMTop50.

But the irony is that you can’t rank, categorize or even really understand Lance Stephenson at this point of his career. He’s too young, too volatile and still unproven in his new role. Right now, any effort to paint a picture that accurately captures his essence or quantifies his impact is futile. He’s heading into year 5 and only 24 years old. Stephenson must to continue to prove himself and improve his game, with a new team and contract.

Considering where he started, though, I think Born Ready is only beginning his ascent within the NBA. I’m just glad I hopped on the bandwagon while there was still room.

It’s the day after Labor Day and Lance Stephenson is trotting past last minute beach-goers through the Coney Island sand until he gets to the very end of it on West 37th Street. There, he leans on the gate to catch his breath for a couple of minutes, while Jamel Thomas (aka 530), his trainer during his summer days in New York, jogs in a few minutes behind.

The new Charlotte Hornets shooting guard has been running the beach during his summer stay in New York, just like all the past Coney Island greats have. Their run through the Coney Island beach is usually a two-mile trek that begins on West 37th Street toward to the famous defunct Parachute Jump, where they turn to go back to their starting spot. Thomas says they usually do the whole run in under 15 minutes.

After a quick weight lifting session at the 9-month-old YMCA on the corner of West 29th and Surf Ave., the four-time HS city champ proceeds to drive a few blocks over and park his car in front of the basketball court on the West 24th St. side of the Carey Gardens housing projects. Literally just seven days prior, about 30 steps away on that same corner of West 24th and Mermaid Ave., a 21-year-old was fatally shot in plain daylight. Yet, today Stephenson’s $300,000 dark silver Rolls Royce Wraith sits there alone. No bodyguards. No entourage. Just him. Thomas parks his car behind him. And two of his high school friends park a third car behind Thomas.

The teenage kids playing at the park look back at the Royce, easily recognizing who’s in the driver’s seat. In a few minutes, Stephenson will surprise them by joining them in a full-court run. Nothing too serious, just a light run so that the neighborhood kids get a chance to experience what it’s like to go up-and-down with a rising NBA star.

In the meantime, Stephenson chilled in the car for a few minutes to talk hoops with us.

One thing that become clear from our conversation is that he sounds as focused and hungry as he’s ever been, and is poised to show that the best has yet to come. A mixture of new school flash and old school assertiveness, the Brooklyn native knows there are still many critics to turn into believers this upcoming season.

SLAM: What’s the feeling like of knowing you’ll be starting a new chapter in Charlotte in just a few weeks?

Lance Stephenson: I’m definitely excited. It’s like a new beginning. I definitely want to come in and help—just be a main factor and get us as far as we can.

SLAM:Returning to your old stumping grounds of Coney Island, what can kind of effect does that have on you?

LS: I feel like when I come back home, I get my attitude and my aggressiveness back. I need to re-up. I come home and hang with friends, and just work out with 530.

SLAM: The kids seem to be very receptive to you here. How are those conversations like?

LS: I come back and just want to show the kids that if you work hard then you can be in the same position that I am. That you can be sitting in this car too. I always like to come back and show my face.

SLAM: What changed last season from the one prior that took your game to a whole new level?

LS: Last year, I was just hungry. I want to be one of the best shooting guards in the League. I work hard every day to get there. I want to prove a point. When everyone sees me, they’ll be like, “Yo, that’s Lance. He’s nice.” That’s why I go so hard and get into it. That’s why I want to be as good as I can be.

SLAM: Considering how well you played last season and how the fans embraced you, how difficult was it making the ultimate decision to leave Indiana?

LS: Leaving Indiana was really hard for me. I didn’t want to leave but this is a business and we ended up going our separate ways. I definitely was sad when I left. I actually cried. The day I really knew I was going to leave, that’s when I had tears coming out.

SLAM: Who was the first person in the Pacers organization that you called once you arrived at your decision?

LS: I called Paul. I told him, George, I wanted to be back playing with you next year, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. I just made my decision right now so this is it.

SLAM: For a minute it looked like you might never get the chance to really play significant minutes in Indiana. How was that process from not even being in the rotation to the starting shooting guard?

LS: The process that I went through was definitely tough. Lots of people would have been gave up. My first two years, I was just sitting behind the bench suited up. I told myself while watching those games, Man, one day I’m going to be on this floor and I’m going to let everyone know that no one can mess with me. So when I actually got my shot and coach let me play, I was ready.

SLAM: One of your biggest supporters since day one seemed to have been Larry Bird—even when you sat behind the bench those two years.

LS: I feel like Larry always had my back. He always knew that I was ready. It was just there for me to prove it and show it. I feel like when I finally got the opportunity, they let me show it.

SLAM: You and Kemba Walker will be running the backcourt in Charlotte this season—we’ve been looking back in history to see if there’s ever been another NYC starting backcourt in the League. What do you think of this backcourt’s potential?

LS: I mean, two New York City guards staring in the backcourt? I can’t wait ’til the season starts to see how that’s going to look. But I feel like we’re going to change a lot of things. We’re going to make Charlotte love us. I don’t think there’s ever been a New York City starting backcourt, ever. So that’s going to go down in history.

SLAM: Any predictions for the upcoming season? How much potential do you see in this team?

LS: I think we can be very good. Last year they made it to the Playoffs. They got knocked out by the Heat, but just making it to the Playoffs and being one of the top defensive teams in the League, that means that they could definitely help me. I think I can come in and make that even better.

SLAM: You are one of the few players in the League who isn’t scared to get very physical with LeBron James and try to get in his head. How is it going up against him?

LS: I feel like some players in the NBA just bow down to LeBron before they even start guarding him. When I’m on the court, I feel like everyone is equal. I don’t feel like you’re better than me. I feel like we’re equal and I’m trying to be better than you while we’re on this floor. That’s just my motivation. That’s just from growing up out here. When I’m on that court, I fear no one.

SLAM: Coming back and working with Thomas, who saw Sebastian Telfair and Stephon Marbury battle their way into the League, as well as himself—how is that relationship?

LS: With Jamel, we’ve been working on conditioning this summer. Just working on my body. Shooting off screens and lifting weights. I don’t lift weights, so I’ve been up here lifting weights. Just getting my body toned up cause I haven’t been working on stuff that I used to. I used to workout with Jamel when I was younger. I feel like I need that power back that I had when I was younger. I was explosive. I want to get that explosiveness again.

SLAM: For someone that hasn’t been lifting weights, you’ve always had a bulky NBA physique.

LS: I’ve always looked muscular but I want to look ripped. I want to look strong. I don’t just want to look big.

SLAM: Is this park on West 24th Street the one where you played growing up?

LS: I used to play at all the courts in Coney Island. But this is the court that everyone comes and plays at now. I think this is one of the best courts out here, so they all come to this one.

SLAM: What’s the message you send to this new generation of Coney Island ballers?

LS: You just have to push yourself. I always had my dad to push me or someone like Jamel. I always had people that pushed me and motivated me to get up out of here and become one of the best players to come from here. I want to be one of the best to come out of New York, period. The All-Star is here next year. I have that on my mind. I want to make it for them.

The Hornets issued a brief statement concerning Taylor’s domestic-assault arrest at about 7:45 p.m. that included, “This is a matter that we take very seriously.”

The rest of the Hornets’ statement: “The Charlotte Hornets were made aware of the incident involving Jeffery Taylor early this evening. The organization is in the process of gathering more information and doing our due diligence.”

“We learn from other leagues’ experiences,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told the Associated Press. “We’re studying everything that has been happening in the NFL. We’re working with our players association. We’ve been talking for several weeks and we’re going to take a fresh look at everything we do.” [...] The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement calls for a minimum 10-game suspension for a first offense of a player convicted of a violent felony.

Barkley has never shied away from publicly criticizing MJ (even when it’s done in jest), and the relationship soured as Jordan took offense to Barkley routinely blasting his stewardship of the Charlotte Bobcats (now known by their original Hornets nickname) on television. Per Yahoo! Sports:

“I think that Michael was upset by some of the things I said about the Bobcats,” Barkley said. “Which, number one, they were true. […] I’m gonna be honest, and I’m gonna be fair.”

“First of all, he’s doing a much better job […] When (the Bobcats) were vying for the worst record in NBA history, Michael had not done a good job.”

Charlotte Hornets forward Noah Vonleh underwent successful surgery today to repair a sports hernia suffered in a recent workout. The surgery was performed in Charlotte by Dr. B. Todd Henneford. Vonleh is expected to miss approximately 6-8 weeks.

The ninth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Vonleh was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Third Team All-Big Ten in 2013-14 at Indiana University after averaging 11.3 points, a Big Ten-high 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game.

After missing almost an entire season because of injuries and a suspension for performance-enhancing substance, Turkoglu, 35, impressed Doc Rivers with his versatility. The Clippers used Turkoglu at both forward spots off the bench and relied on his ball handling on offense. [...] He averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game with the Clippers.

The Clippers can only sign Turkoglu to a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract, which will be slightly less than $1.45 million for a player with his service time.

The team is also close to an agreement with free-agent Chris Douglas-Roberts. [...] Douglas-Roberts, a 6-foot-7 wing player, spent last season with Charlotte, averaging 6.9 points in 49 games. In four playoff games against Miami, Douglas-Roberts averaged 9.5 points in 17.5 minutes per game. Douglas-Roberts would make $1.06 million on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal.

For now, with three years left on his deal with the Golden State Warriors, playing back home in Charlotte remains a mere fantasy for Stephen Curry. The dead-eyed shooter says there’s no better feeling than playing in front of your family and hometown friends. Per the Bay Area News Group:

Curry said he was surprised (LeBron) James left the Heat to return to play for his hometown team in the Cavaliers, but added, “I’m sure there’s no better feeling than going home.”

“I’ve always had thoughts about playing at home, what it would be like,” said Curry, who is in the middle of a four-year, $44 million contract extension with the Warriors. “My dad played there for 10 years, and people around the Greater Charlotte area in North Carolina have done a lot for my family growing up, so you always think about it.

“Right now I feel like I’ve got three years left on my deal, so this isn’t going to be an issue for me for a while. I love the Bay Area and where we are as a team trying to win a championship, and that’s what it’s all about. Of course everybody dreams about or thinks about what it’s going to be like to play at home. Obviously if that opportunity comes along it’s a different discussion.”

While it’s been no secret the Hornets are interested in hosting the annual mid-February event at Time Warner Cable Arena, there are potential complications. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during a March visit to Charlotte that an All-Star bid would be contingent on the city agreeing to various upgrades to the arena. [...] “It’s part of the understanding here that the building remain state of the art,” Silver said in March. “Nothing dramatic is needed. But certainly an upgrade to the scoreboard, some things with the suites and the lighting.”

Under lease terms between the city and the Hornets, who manage the nine-year-old publicly-funded arena, the parties will intermittently review keeping the facility up to date. The team and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority compiled a list of potential improvements that would cost nearly $42 million.

“I’d love to bring the All-Star Game back here,” Silver said. “This is a wonderful community, a hotbed of basketball, not just pro but college as well.”

“With Lance (Stephenson) being gone and everyone thinking this is going to be a rebuilding year for us,” Paul George said during Team USA training camp this week, “immediately when LeBron (James) went to Cleveland, that made them the front-runners.”

But the Pacers, with a strong core led by George still in place, are certainly not rebuilding, right? […] “People do look at it that way,” George insisted, perhaps even trying to sell it. “I’ve got a lot of pressure and I’m coming into this year and I’m ready to live up to that pressure.”

And while he seems to talk in code a bit about what Stephenson’s departure means, he is not looking to shed any responsibility. […] “The eyes are on me this year,” George said. “I’ve got a lot of pressure and I’m coming into this year ready to live up to that pressure.”

As for the off-court drama, George said: “We had no locker room issues. You are going to clash. You got guys that got into it. But there was nothing that broke our chemistry. We were still [close] as a team.”

“(Stephenson) did that because he wants to come into his own,” George said. “That’s not to say he couldn’t do that in Indiana. But I think the fresh start gives him the ability to lead a team and take what he got from us to Charlotte. He is a player that wants to be an All-Star, wants to be a superstar in this league. So I think he made that move based on that.”

“Coming into next season I need to be in the 25-30-point mark,” said George, who averaged 21.7 points last season. “I got to get back to that old Kobe, T-Mac, 25-shots-a-night kind of guy.”

This is another installment of Court Changes—a summer breakdown of trades and free-agency signings. The series will get into the motivations behind the moves and how these transactions will affect teams’ trajectories. All opinions are those of the writer.

Lance Stephenson signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets.

The Hornets signed Stephenson because: this no longer the team formerly and sadly known as the Charlotte Bobcats.

Two years ago, the Bobcats won seven total games in a 66-game shortened season. Seven.

Since the team’s foundation in 2004, the Bobcats have struggled to find their way, as most expansion teams do from the get-go. Yet, the Bobcats were more than just a bad team; they became a running joke among the NBA community and an image of ineptitude. The phrase “at least you’re not the Bobcats” suddenly appeared as a commonly used expression to appease depressed sports fans.

Charlotte’s front office rarely took risks while free agents had little desire to become the player who would have the task of bringing some life to the franchise. At one point in the Bobcats’ short history, the only notable free-agent signing was Shannon Brown. Every other major player acquisition came in the form of a draft pick or trade—which is a way of forcing someone to play for a team.

That franchise is now as distant a memory as the fiasco of Adam Morrison.

Last year, the Bob-nets had one of their best seasons ever by going 43-39, earning the 7-seed in the East and finding their place among Playoff teams. Yes, the East may have been watered down and yes, the Heat handily swept them in the first round. But they no longer looked like the laughingstock of the League, showing drastic improvements in coaching, playing and management.

In terms of playing, the development started with Al Jefferson, the first (and last) sought-after free agent to choose the Bobcats over his other 29 options. Big Al gave Charlotte a legitimate low-post threat and another option to run the offense through.

Lance Stephenson now enters as a player most of us will correlate with the resurgence of the Hornets’ image. In the past, this franchise would have never chased a player of Stephenson’s caliber, and Stephenson wouldn’t have even given Charlotte a second glance.

This is a different franchise with an owner in Michael Jordan who has taken leaps as an executive these past few offseasons. No longer is MJ considered a joke in the front office. No longer are these the Charlotte Bobcats. The Charlotte Hornets are back and ready for a new image in more ways than one.

This is good for the Hornets because: they snagged a vital third scorer in a low-risk, high-reward situation.

The concept of a “Big Three” is highly regarded in the League and seen as a key element of success. Bringing together three elite players has been accomplished even before the recent surge of Big Threes across the League. Larry Bird had Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Magic Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper (and then James Worthy). Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. For Schoolhouse Rock and the NBA, three is certainly a magic number.

Even though the triad of Kemba Walker-Jefferson-Stephenson doesn’t have the flash and fame as the other trios in recent and past NBA history, it certainly has the potential to work on the court.

Last season, first-year head coach and basketball lifer Steve Clifford implemented a simple but effective defensive system in Charlotte. His team focused on limiting an opponent’s transition opportunities, second-chance points and free throws. They ended the season with the fifth most efficient defense in the League.

As stout as the defense was, though, the team’s offense lacked any sort of creativity or flow as it was cripplingly reliant on two players.

Walker and Jefferson combined to score practically all of the Bobcats’ points. At least that is what it often felt like. Jefferson averaged 21.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg and Walker averaged 17.7 ppg and 6.1 apg. Gerald Henderson, Gary Neal and Ramon Sessions all averaged double-digits in scoring but didn’t have the ability to take the responsibility as that third piece to the Big Three puzzle.

At 6-5, 230 pounds, Stephenson goes to Charlotte as a wing who can provide dependable perimeter defense in Clifford’s system while coexisting and possibly flourishing alongside a star point guard and center. In his breakout season with the Pacers last year, Stephenson averaged 13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 4.6 apg. He was one of only four players with at least 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 4.0 apg, joining Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Nicolas Batum.

It isn’t coincidental that Stephenson led the NBA in triple-doubles (4) last season. He expanded his game on both ends of the floor and doesn’t look to be plateauing anytime soon. For a team that constantly struggled to put the ball in the basket and ranked in the bottom seven in offensive efficiency, the Bobcats now have a starter who can offer a new, different and electric source of scoring.

These three play different positions and all can create their own shots—a vital characteristic for any Big Three. They obviously need to feed off the other’s strengths, but each member of a successful trio must also have a sense of independence. Born Ready certainly has the confidence and creative skills to be a scoring option in and of himself. Also, Stephenson should play well in the backcourt with Walker since these two have played with and against each other during their formative years in New York.

And when Walker needs a breather, the momentum will no longer come to a screeching halt as Clifford can run the offense through Stephenson. (As fun as Josh McRoberts is, he can’t be a playoff team’s second source of playmaking. Stephenson is a drastic improvement.)

This might look like a desperate move since Stephenson comes with plenty of lingering and potential problems, but when looking at the contract, the Hornets have put themselves in a great position during the next few years. Stephenson’s contract is certainly tradable and gives the team an out if the charismatic shooting guard does in fact self-destruct. With a team-option on the third year, the Hornets can decide to cut ties with Stephenson after only the second season and be off the hook completely.

This is good for Stephenson because: his next free-agency period could be drastically different.

Not only is this contract favorable for the Hornets, it also offers Stephenson the chance to receive another major increase in pay.

The current offseason didn’t turn out the way Stephenson had hoped for. With the likes of Gordon Hayward, Trevor Ariza, Chandler Parsons and Luol Deng triggering plenty of interested suitors and lavish contract offers, Stephenson’s name fell silent during the initial chatter of free agency. Earlier, he turned down the Pacers’ five-year, $44 million offer in hopes of finding a better deal. (Or he wanted out of Indiana no matter what.)

This might not have been the deal Stephenson was looking for when he finished the 2013-14 season, but if he excels while in Charlotte (possible All-Star?), the tide could turn in the New York native’s favor.

At age 23, Stephenson will be a free agent again at the age of 25 or 26—which is right at the cusp of an athlete’s prime. If the next contract he signs is for four or five years, Lance would be joining a team during some of his best years.

But it all starts with his current contract. Stephenson is betting on himself to grow into an elite player. If he can find consistency and reliability while still maturing on and off the court, he could ultimately find a multitude of player-friendly contract offers right at his doorstep.

This could hurt the Hornets’ chemistry because: Stephenson isn’t the type of player Charlotte has been acquiring of late.

Owners of professional sports teams generally create a certain culture, revolving around a type of style, attitude or player. For Jordan, he clearly values professionalism in a basketball player. His second most-recent signee, Jefferson, embodies this maturity and responsibility as Big Al is considered to be a team-first, level-headed player who has a positive influence in the locker room. Walker is certainly an intense competitor and passionate player but has learned to harness his emotions and has quickly grown up during his first three seasons in the League. Just like Pacers owner Larry Bird, Jordan is a no-nonsense owner who expects on-court and off-court issues to remain at a minimum.

Lance Choke-Gesture, Blow-In-Your-Ear Stephenson can’t seem to develop into a player void of a variety of antics. He has cut down on his troubles with the law faced during high school and college, but Stephenson still consistently exhibits his peculiar behaviors and has shown no desire to “grow up” any time soon.

Additionally, the insertion of PJ Hairston, who has plenty of his own issues, combined with Stephenson’s conduct could further taint the culture Jordan has been cultivating. But the returning Hornets, along with Clifford, might end up positively influencing two men trying to find their footing.

With a roster, though, filled with youth and lacking a boisterous veteran to put teammates in their place, the Hornets are running the risk of Stephenson being a detriment to his new team.

This is good for the Hornets’ relevancy because: they might actually receive some national coverage.

Last year, the Bobcats were one of three teams that did not receive a single nationally televised game during the regular season. Jefferson might have been a great fit to their frontline and certainly was central in pushing the team into the postseason, but he doesn’t dazzle with his play or entice NBA fans to see what he will do next. To put it simply, Jefferson is boring to fair-weather fans and so were the Bobcats (except for McBob’s locks).

Stephenson changes all of this. As annoying as he may have been when joining the Heat’s huddle or playing possum after he flopped, Born Ready is one of the most tantalizing characters in the NBA. The kid also has a level of transparency with reporters not often seen in today’s PR-driven sports world. And when all of this is combined with the entertainment he showcases when actually playing basketball, a beat writer’s dream player has arrived in Charlotte.

This national attention has the possibility to grow into bigger and better things for Charlotte, as players and sponsorships might have more of an incentive to team up with the Hornets. Relevancy is just on the horizon. (One thing is for certain: we should all prepare for a potential nationally-televised game between the Hornets and Pacers. We need that.)

This will have a significant impact on the Hornets because: they are taking risks and making moves with impeccable timing.

As I mentioned in a previous Court Changes, a team’s championship window does not stay open for very long. Sometimes franchises don’t recognize when it is open while others simply play in the wrong conference or time period.

Michael Jordan is fully aware of championship windows and can sense when it is time to push all his chips to the center of the table. He’s peaking through a slight opening in Charlotte’s window.

The Hornets certainly aren’t ready to be included in the discussion of NBA “contenders” for the time being. They still have an untested coach and a team that hasn’t experienced a legitimate playoff run.

But by signing Stephenson, Jordan is building a defensive-driven squad that is ready to prove to the League they have the makeup to take advantage of the wide-open Eastern Conference and snatch home-court advantage in the first round. That’s the first step along the winding and demanding road to the Larry O’Brien trophy, and the Hornets are sprinting ahead.

For two consecutive offseasons, the now Charlotte Hornets have convinced a free agent to play for their team. That had never happened before since the Bobcats came into existence. And now, they have the chance to appear in back-to-back postseasons and show why teal is making a strong comeback in the NBA.

Stephenson’s people wanted more, wanted $12 million to $14 million from the Pacers, according to the team’s president. They were looking for a $55 million contract. When the offer came in at $44 million, they scoffed.

Except that according to Bird, the Pacers were willing to offer a shorter-term contract that would have given Stephenson the chance to cash in should his game continue to grow the way both he and Bird believe it will. The Pacers were also willing, however grudgingly, to give Stephenson a player option after four years of a five-year contract so that he could opt-out and test the market once the cap money increased.

“I really feel bad about losing him,” Bird said. “I hope it doesn’t interfere with our relationship. But I did what I could possibly do to keep him here. Even if he didn’t have any other offers, I was committed to giving him that $44 million because I believe in the kid. If you look at our roster, we have five or six guys in the last year of their deals, plus David (West) and Roy (Hibbert) can opt out, so don’t you think I wanted to keep Lance and Paul (George) locked into long-term deals?”

“It’s just disappointing,” Bird said. “When I’d go to practices, when he was on, he was by far our best player. And he worked. If you work as hard as he does, you’re going to get better. I’m going to miss the kid, no question. And he’s growing up. That stuff he pulled in the playoffs, that was out of the blue. But I knew how good Lance was and the value he brought to our team.”

Hornets owner Michael Jordan attended the meeting in Las Vegas on Tuesday night that resulted in Stephenson signing a 3-year, $27.4 million contract. Jordan spoke very directly with Stephenson before signing off on this contract.

“He told me what he likes about me, he told me what I need to calm down on,” Stephenson told the Observer after the news conference. “He told me how I can contribute to the team. And he told me he believed in my talent. He likes my competitive edge.”

“I think those things are a by-product of the fact that he badly wants to win,” Clifford said in a conference call from Las Vegas, where the Hornets continue in summer league.

“Our owner talked to him specifically about the fact that those are things that we can work on. He knows that. He knows that sometimes he has crossed the line a little bit. I think he does that out of competitiveness.”

While Stephenson acknowledges he must comport himself better, he sees his attitude as one of the things that got him this far.

A compilation of the NBA’s best images from the past seven days. In this edition of NBA photos, catch up on some offseason action with more from the summer league, player introductions, and…Dwyane Wade’s picture-perfect moment with a dolphin.

Under terms of the agreement, Stephenson will make $9 million in 2014-15 and $9 million in 2015-16. Stephenson will get a slight raise in 2016-17 if the Hornets pick up the team option.

Stephenson fills an obvious need, as the Hornets were weak offensively at the shooting guard and small forward positions. The 6-foot-5 Stephenson had a breakthrough season statistically, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He also shot 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range.

Tuesday, following the summer Board of Governors meeting, Pacers owner Herb Simon reiterated to the Indianapolis Star that his franchise believes its offer to Stephenson is more than fair. “We made him a wonderful offer and they didn’t think it was enough, so it’s a simple situation,” Simon told the Star.

His agent, Mike Conley Sr., said Monday McRoberts will get the full mid-level exception, starting at about $5.3 million next season. Contracts begin getting signed Thursday.

McRoberts averaged 8.5 points in 78 starts for Charlotte last season, and raised Miami’s ire in the playoffs by leveling LeBron James with an elbow that some Heat players said looked intentional. McRoberts was issued only a common foul at the time, but the NBA upgraded it to a flagrant-2 and fined him $20,000.

Miami is waiting to see if James, and other free agents Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, will be re-signing with the Heat.

UPDATE: PJ Hairston has a court date scheduled for August 8. The AP has the details:

Charlotte Hornets rookie and former North Carolina star guard P.J. Hairston has to appear in Durham County Court on misdemeanor charges of assault and battery following an altercation during a pickup basketball game.

Paul Sherwin, public information officer for the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, says Hairston was issued a summons on Monday but will not be arrested.

During a heated pickup game on Sunday in Durham, N.C., Charlotte Hornets rookie PJ Hairston allegedly punched a 17-year old high player twice. Not surprisingly, there’s conflicting info coming from both sides of the altercation. Per Yahoo!:

Hairston’s agent said that Hairston did hit Northern Durham High School senior Kentrell Barkley during the game at a YMCA – but said it was in retaliation to Barkley first punching Hairston.

“It was two kids in a gym who got into it during a pickup game,” said Hairston’s agent Juan Morrow, who tried to dismiss it as a “minor altercation.” “They’re trying to make it a big deal because it was P.J.”

Barkley, however, disputed Morrow’s interpretation of the altercation, saying that Hairston punched him while driving to the basket after they trash-talked during the game. Barkley said Hairston then punched him in the neck after approaching him following the first punch. Barkley said he didn’t hit Hairston and couldn’t retaliate because he was held back before Hairston quickly departed.

Coming off his fourth NBA season with the Utah Jazz, the 6-foot-8 Hayward is a restricted free agent. The Cleveland Cavaliers brought him in for a visit this week, but were reportedly reluctant about providing him an offer sheet, on the reasoning the Jazz might match any offer.

The Hornets need a wing shooter-scorer, and Hayward, 24, fits that description. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds last season. His field-goal percentage slipped from 43.4 percent in the 2012-13 season to 41.3 percent last season, but that in part reflects the struggles the Jazz had after center Al Jefferson signed with the then-Bobcats and power forward Paul Millsap signed with the Atlanta Hawks.

Jefferson and Hayward are friends from their time together in Salt Lake City. Jefferson said at the news conference announcing his All-NBA selection that he planned to help recruit players to Charlotte.

The Charlotte Hornets have reportedly traded UConn PG Shabazz Napier to the Miami Heat for the No. 26 (PJ Hairston) and No. 55 overall picks in the 2014 NBA Draft and a future second-round pick. Per ESPN:

Heat will trade No. 26, No. 55 and a future 2nd to the Hornets for Shabazz Napier

The Charlotte Hornets are officially back, and this morning the team unveiled its new home, road and alternate uniforms, seen above. Watch the entire unveiling and the reactions from the players who’ll don the jerseys themselves come fall.

Michael Jordan said that Rod Higgins abruptly resigned when Jordan shifted the team’s personnel decisions into the hands of GM Rich Cho. In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, the GOAT said that “one of [Higgins’] strong points is not negotiating” and that “sometimes when teams would call (proposing trades), they’d bypass Rod to get to Rich.”

In an exclusive interview with the Charlotte Observer, Jordan said Friday that he recently offered Higgins a new contract and that they had agreed on financial terms. Then, about a week ago, Jordan told Higgins he wanted to rearrange some job responsibilities to better fit Higgins’ and Cho’s skill sets.

“Rod’s strong points are working with the coaches and the trainers, traveling with the team,” Jordan said. “He was my buffer zone with the coaches. I didn’t want to overwhelm them with ideas, so I’d work with Rod on that.”

Jordan said he wants Cho, with a background as an attorney, dealing more with budgets and managing the salary cap.

“One of (Higgins’) strong points is not negotiating, leveraging teams,” Jordan said. “Sometimes when teams would call (proposing trades), they’d bypass Rod to get to Rich.”

Higgins, with the franchise since 2007, teamed with Cho the last three years. Jordan said that arrangement led to some “confusion over who reported to whom. It created a contentious environment where I had to step in.”

That’s when Jordan proposed these shifts in responsibilities, which Higgins considered a demotion. At that point, Jordan said he asked Higgins if they could wait until after the draft to make a change.

Charlotte Hornets guard Gerald Henderson underwent a minor procedure on his right wrist to remove scar tissue. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, Henderson should be ready to go when the team begins training camp. Via team press release:

Charlotte Hornets guard Gerald Henderson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right wrist to remove scar tissue. The surgery was performed at the Duke University Medical Center by Dr. David Ruch. Henderson’s wrist will be immobilized for approximately two weeks before he begins the rehabilitation process.

Henderson averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 32.0 minutes per game in 77 contests (all starts) for Charlotte last season. The No. 12 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Henderson has played in 311 career games for Charlotte.

Fear not. Next season, when the Bobcats officially become the Charlotte Hornets again, the team’s iconic purple and teal uniforms will be back. From the press release and Charlotte Observer: “The Charlotte Bobcats announced (Sunday) that the team will utilize purple and teal as its primary colors when it changes its name to the Charlotte Hornets prior to the 2014-15 NBA season. The colors, which were used by the original Charlotte Hornets during their tenure in the city from 1988-2002, will be accented by secondary colors black, cool gray and light blue. ‘It was important to us to acknowledge the heritage of the Charlotte Hornets when bringing the name back to the market,’ said Bobcats Sports & Entertainment Chairman Michael Jordan. ‘The purple and teal color scheme was instantly recognizable as being associated with the original Hornets and we felt it was only appropriate to utilize the colors once again with this historic brand.’ As part of the survey process prior to the decision to change the name, Harris Interactive surveyed the Charlotte community, as well as current season ticket holders and team sponsors. In each of the three groups, an overwhelming majority of those surveyed were in favor of using the purple and teal of the original Hornets as the colors of the rebranded team. [...] One interesting point about the accent colors: that ‘light blue’ looks an awful lot like Carolina blue, a color Bobcats owner Michael Jordan wore as one of the Tar Heels’ all-time best players. ‘We understand it’s an important color to the region,’ said Pete Guelli, the Bobcats’ chief marketing officer, of the blue shade. ‘It scored high in our survey and was part of the original Hornet color palette. The Bobcats are still working on new uniforms and logos. While no final decisions have been made, next season’s uniforms probably won’t be replicas of the originals, with pleats and such. ‘Clearly there would have been some evolution for any brand over 23 years. There would be some evolution of what the look would be,’ Bobcats President Fred Whitfield said. ‘We’re being very deliberate to make sure our uniform design is something our fans would be excited about, and also have a current look and feel.’ Julian, a national clothing designer who grew up in Chapel Hill, advocated the teal-and-purple color scheme when then-team owner George Shinn asked him to design the prototype uniforms. By 1995, Hornets gear was the hottest seller in the NBA. Charlotte Hornets ‘legacy’ items sold by the NBA are still big sellers among young consumers. The Bobcats have already seen new revenue from the name change. There’s been an uptick in season-ticket sales – an 89percent renewal rate, plus about 2,000 new season-ticket equivalents.”

The NBA’s team owners unanimously approved Charlotte’s name change back to the Hornets, 11 years after the city’s original team moved to New Orleans (eventually becoming known as the Pelicans.) Per the press release and the Charlotte Observer: “The Hornets was the name of the original Charlotte NBA franchise that debuted during the 1988-89 campaign. ‘We’re thrilled to bring back the Hornets to Charlotte and the Carolinas,’ said Bobcats Sports & Entertainment Chairman Michael Jordan. ‘The passion and enthusiasm around this name change by fans in this market has been unmatched. They overwhelmingly told us what they wanted, we listened and we couldn’t be happier with the Board of Governors’ approval of the name change. With the young team we are developing on the court, the direction of our business and the return of the Hornets name, we are extremely excited about our future. The Buzz is Back!’ [...] That change will take effect after the 2013-14 season, allowing enough lead time to switch uniforms, logos and signage in and around Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets moved in 2002 after owner George Shinn and city council failed to work out a deal to replace the Charlotte Coliseum. The NBA quickly replaced the Hornets in Charlotte with an expansion team with new owner Bob Johnson called the Bobcats. That name wasn’t well received by Charlotteans, some of whom saw ‘Bobcats’’ as a show of vanity by Johnson, the billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television. Johnson ended up selling majority control of the team to Michael Jordan in March 2010. Former NBA superstar Jordan frequently said his goal was to recreate the atmosphere he remembered playing against the Hornets as far back as the team’s debut season in 1988. The Hornets sold out the 24,000-plus seat Coliseum for nearly nine seasons, regularly leading the NBA in attendance. The Hornets had a distinctive purple-and-teal color scheme, with pinstriped and pleated uniforms courtesy of North Carolina-based clothing designer Alexander Julian.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/charlotte-bobcats-to-officially-become-the-hornets-again/feed/12Charlotte Hornets May Not Bring Back the Original Team Colorshttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/charlotte-hornets-may-not-bring-back-original-team-colors/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/charlotte-hornets-may-not-bring-back-original-team-colors/#commentsWed, 22 May 2013 14:00:13 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=267747

As expected, the Charlotte Bobcats announced that they will be known as the Hornets once again beginning in 2014-15. According to owner Michael Jordan, however, the name change doesn’t guarantee that the team’s popular original purple and teal colors will also be making a comeback. Per the AP: “Jordan said his organization is giving the fans what they want. ‘We spoke to our season ticket holders and fans, and overwhelmingly you guys wanted the Hornets name back,’ Jordan said. ‘And we went out and brought the name back.’ [...] Pete Guelli, Charlotte’s executive vice president and chief sales marketing officer, estimated the cost of changing the name to the Hornets at about $4 million. He added, however, that the decision wasn’t based on money and that ‘nothing was going to keep us from going down this road because this is what the fans wanted.’ Jordan knows that it will take more than just changing the name of the front of the jersey to turn his struggling franchise around — it will take talent. The Bobcats are 28-120 over the past two seasons, the worst record in the league. ‘Ultimately we still have to play the game at a high level, which is what the Hornets did for a long period of time,’ Jordan said. ‘Changing the name does not guarantee that we’re going to be a playoff-contending team. We still have a lot of work to do to build that. I’m not walking away from that. It is what it is.’ He said it’s too early in the process to know if the team will keep the Hornets’ teal and purple colors. The NBA’s Hornets resided in Charlotte from 1988-2002 before then-owner George Shinn moved the team to New Orleans following a financial dispute with city officials over replacing the Charlotte Coliseum. Shinn wanted a new arena with additional luxury suites. The New Orleans Hornets, now owned by Tom Benson, recently changed their name to the Pelicans. Charlotte was awarded an expansion team in 2003 and then-owner Bob Johnson named the team the Bobcats. The venture was a financial disaster for Johnson, who lost millions before selling majority ownership to Jordan in 2010. Even with Jordan at the helm, the Bobcats have never come close to matching the popularity of the Hornets, a team which sold out 364 straight home games, a streak that stretched nearly nine full seasons.”

So after months of speculation, it looks like Michael Jordan will follow his friend Spike Lee’s advice and do the right thing: Bring the Hornets name back to Charlotte.

On Tuesday, Jordan announced the Charlotte Bobcats will began the process of changing the team’s name to the Charlotte Hornets. The change would return the name of Charlotte’s original franchise, which relocated to New Orleans in 2002.

This news comes months after New Orleans announced it would be known as the Pelicans following the conclusion of the 2012-13 season. But even before that announcement came, a grassroots movement called Bring Back The Buzz began lobbying for the name to return back to its original home.

Almost as soon as the news of the change broke, you could hear social media buzzing about the change. Many skeptics point that the change in the name won’t change the team. And they are partially right.

I was a toddler when George Shinn brought the Hornets to Charlotte in the late 1980s, so it’s not a stretch to say my friends and I grew up with the Hornets. The Hornets were a big hit initially, leading the League in attendance for several seasons. Though they never went past the second round during their time in Charlotte, their talented mid-90s group of Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry remain cult heros in the region to this day.

Eventually, Shinn and Charlotte soured on each other as the team failed to keep its star players (they traded Johnson, Mourning and a kid named Kobe Bryant in a span of less than 18 months) and secure a new arena deal. The team bolted for New Orleans, leaving Charlotte without an NBA team until the Bobcats came to town in 2004.

As a kid growing up in a small town north of Charlotte, the Hornets were larger than life. There was nothing like driving through Charlotte and seeing that huge mural of Johnson, Mourning and Bogues towering over the city like teal-clad superheroes. The Hornets were so cool that Kris Kross even wore the franchise’s gear frontwards. There’s just something about that purple and teal and the words “Charlotte” that fit hand-in-hand.

It’s hard to explain the impact the Hornets brought to the Charlotte region. It turned us from a small, regional city to a national one. It’s very likely that there would be no Carolina Panthers without the Hornets’ early success. And though things ended ugly between the Hornets and the city, it seems as though time has softened those wounds. It’s almost like seeing the girl that broke your heart at a class reunion: neither one of you are as young and naive as you were the first time, but you are both available and figure you might as well give it a shot.

Though they were around for almost 10 years, the Bobcats never caught on. And with just one Playoff appearance, bad drafting and a horrible color scheme, it’s easy to see why.

The name change won’t change the team’s management. It won’t make them draft better players. It won’t add more wins to their record. It won’t even turn the Time Warner Cable Arena back to The Hive. But it will bring something back to Charlotte that the Bobkitties have never been able to give it: Buzz.

This change is more about emotion than results at this stage. We know Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning aren’t walking through that door. But right now, we don’t care. This goodwill won’t last forever, but we want that old thing back. And for the first time in a long time, His Airness delivered it to us.

Steven J. Gaither is a multi-media journalist and founder of HBCU Gameday.

With the Hornets officially becoming the Pelicans, the Bobcats have now started the process of changing their name back to the Hornets (yes!), according to CBS Sports: “The Charlotte Bobcats are in the process of changing their name back to ‘Hornets,’ a source with knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com’s Will Brinson, including arranging digital assets that would allow a return to their original nickname. There is no timetable for the switch though NBA commissioner to be Adam Silver told Bobcats season ticket holders in April that such a change would take at least 18 months to implement. Moreover, the change is not unexpected and would likely be popular with the North Carolina fan base. Bobcats chairman and owner Michael Jordan confirmed in February that the team hired ‘a national polling group’ (previously reported as Harris Interactive) to determine how fans felt about a change back to Hornets. Jordan called the reaction to the poll ‘very mixed.’ Numerous grassroots groups have pushed for a return to Hornets.”

Muggsy Bogues has always garnered more attention due to his height rather than his game, when in reality, it should have always been the other way around. Bogues played an integral part to the Charlotte Hornets success and held a solid team that included Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson together. To show respect for an under-appreciated player, our friends over at K1X are paying homage to the point guard’s career by collaborating with him on a series of tees and shorts that feature Bogues exclusively. Check out their Q+A with the point guard below.

by Christian Trojan

K1X: You are now coaching a high school team at United Faith Christian Academy (Charlotte, NC), you have coached in the WNBA and you obviously know a thing or two about the men‘s pro game as well. What players do you enjoy coaching the most?

Muggsy Bogues: I don‘t really try to search for a specific type of player. But it‘s always easy to coach talent. Once you have that, you can give them more input and try to propel their career. I just love the game, love teaching. It doesn‘t matter what type of player he or she is. I just love to pass on the information that I have about the game.

I wasn‘t fortunate enough to have people like myself around me when I was growing up. That‘s why I try to provide that to young kids today. Try to challenge these kids. Attitude-wise, it doesn‘t matter. As long as they understand one thing and that is that it‘s all about team. That‘s the beauty of it. Seeing a kid going from one place to another place, that‘s a treat for me.

K1X: You were part of the NBA in what many might consider the golden era of basketball: The ’90s. What is your take on the whole Dream Team vs. Team USA 2012 debate?

MB: Oh man (laughs). There‘s just no comparison. Kobe, to his credit, is a competitor. What else is he going to say? But the Dream Team had eleven Hall of Famers on its roster. It‘s the most amazing team ever assembled. There will never be anything like it again. I recall how we went over in ’86 and competed in the World Championship. And in ’88, it was the last time that college players competed in the Olympics and it didn‘t turn out too well. So I guess that‘s when they decided to send the pros and it turned out to be a special, special team with the Birds, the Magics, the Jordans, the Ewings … That was an amazing team.

K1X: Like you mentioned earlier, you represented the USA as a college athlete, an idea that has been tossed around again lately. Do you think that USA Basketball should go back to players under the age of 23?

MB: No, I think that we should send the best players available to represent our country. I prefer to continue the way it is at the moment. And I think that we might fare well with collegiate players going over there but with so many players going to the NBA early, the NCAA talent pool is not as deep as it used to be. It‘s professionals they are competing against so I think it‘s fair to send the NBA players.

K1X: We found this great quote from Garry St. Jean, the Sacramento Kings coach in the ’90s, on your legendary Hornets team with Zo and LJ: “They’ve got the two horses, but Muggsy drives the wagon. He feeds ‘em the oats.” Did you feel like it was that way back in the day?

MB: I felt like I was always the leader on the floor. And my teammates knew and respected that. And I tell you, that‘s the way I had to play. I had to understand what it took for our team to win at all times. That‘s what my position called for. And if you want your guys to trust you, you have to display that attitude in a certain way. But we all made it easier for one another. We were all driving that wagon, so to speak.

K1X: Speaking of the Hornets, do you feel more connected with the franchise or the city of Charlotte?

MB: Along with Dell [Curry], I might be the one who played the longest with the team. I played here for nine years and I still live in the community. Even though I played for other teams I always had my home here. Everywhere I went, it was always Zo, Larry and Muggsy who stood for the Hornets.

K1X: Lately there have been a lot of speculations that the Bobcats might change their name and that the New Orleans franchise might give up the name Hornets. Would you appreciate if the Hornets returned to Charlotte? Let‘s be real here, teal and purple suit you a lot better than orange.

MB: (Laughs) That was a really special color. Not only in the community but in the entire region. I think the Bobcats are fighting a ghost because we did so many special things when we were here. I just don‘t think that they have that appeal right now that the Hornets used to have. But I think winning changes everything. If they start winning a lot of people will jump on that bandwagon.

But if they don‘t want the name Hornets down in New Orleans I certainly wouldn‘t mind the Hornets coming back to Charlotte. It would bring that stamp back to where the team started. And I think winning a championship with the Hornets would be bigger in Charlotte than winning with the Bobcats.

K1X: I read that you used to take a basketball literally everywhere you went as a kid. Is that true?

MB: Absolutely. It was my girlfriend for the longest. (laughs) It took it with me when I went to bed, I even took out the trash dribbling a basketball. Every work around the house that my mom made me do, I did with a basketball until I was 14 or 15 years old. So in a way I have to credit her for my ball handling skills (laughs).

K1X: This is the only height-related question, we promise. But you spent time on the same team with Manute Bol in Washington. Do you think it was basketball related or was it more of a marketing move?

MB: No I think it was more of a marketing tool for the Bullets. At first, I didn‘t see it that way. I was just so happy to be drafted, playing back in your hometown. But after a while it felt like a marketing move. The tall and the short of it. I‘m sure they thought they could use it to their advantage, sell some tickets with it.

But Manute and I never bought into it. We played the game for what it is and approached the game for what it was.

K1X: The last question has to do with our man Charles Oakley, whom you played with on the Raptors. We heard this story about Oak taking his teammates to his mom‘s for southern food on road trips. Is that true?

MB: That is so true. Besides Larry, Alonzo and Dell, he is the best teammate I ever played with. True teammate. He got your back at all times. He goes to war for you. And he got the warmest heart. That‘s why he‘s able to extend his mother‘s house out to his teammates and invite us all to have some great food. Great food. I tell you, you can‘t beat it.